Progress in surfacing computer science in STEM

As the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education reform wave has swept the United States, ACM and CSTA, among other organizations, have worked to push K-12 computer science toward the “core” of a student’s education. We are at a critical point for K12 computer science education particularly with a potential new AP course called CS Principles [2] being designed and piloted for introduction into secondary schools in the next few years. Significant questions remain as to whether computer science is really at the table when key decisions are made about how schools and states allocate their education resources. Major policy issues still exist for K-12 computer science education. There is deep confusion about computer science teacher certification, courses, gender and diversity gaps in students, and whether computer science courses “count” toward a student’s graduation requirements. This special session will present groundbreaking research reflecting how computer science education is treated in each of the 50 states coupled with initiatives to transform the national education policy landscape for K-12 computer science education. It will connect the broad SIGCSE community by giving them new data and a call to action to get involved in a new coalition called “Computing in the Core.” This new coalition seeks to ensure computer science is at the core of education for all students.