FACT SHEET: A Year of Action Supporting Computer Science for All

“…we have to make sure all our kids are equipped for the jobs of the future – which means not just being able to work with computers, but developing the analytical and coding skills to power our innovation economy.”

President Obama, Weekly Address, January 30, 2016.

There are half a million open technology jobs in the United States today, and that number is projected to more than double within the next 4 years. These jobs pay 50 percent more than the average private-sector job. One recent analysis of 26 million job postings found that nearly half of all the jobs in the top quartile in pay require some computer-science (CS) knowledge or coding skills.

And yet, CS remains largely missing from American K-12 education. By the most recent estimates, just 40 percent of K-12 schools report offering even a single computer-science course, and only 32 states currently allow students to count computer science towards core high school graduation requirements.

These challenges, and the growing relevance of computing to America’s economy, cybersecurity, and national security, are why President Obama issued a bold call to action at the beginning of this year—in his final State of the Union address—to give every child the opportunity to learn computer science.

Since then, 2016 has been a year of action in support of computer science. Fourteen new states have expanded CS education, more than 500 organizations have responded to the President’s call to action, and a new AP-CS course launched this fall and is already being offered in more than 2,000 classrooms. Fifteen Federal agencies are coordinating efforts to expand CS education, with new investments and guidance. Twenty-seven governors have called on Congress to support CS education.

Marking this year of progress, and kicking off the Computer Science Education Week 2016, the White House is announcing new actions in support of CS education.

New Actions Announced by the Administration Today

Federal agencies are announcing new actions in support of Computer Science for All:

Hispanic Heritage Foundation will provide bilingual CS education and training on the basics of computer programming for more than 1,000 students in 20 schools in 20 cities by 2017, with focus on Latinos and schools that serve students underrepresented in CS.