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Senate Draft of No Child Left Behind Act Draft Makes CS a 'Core' Subject
theodp (442580) writes "If at first you don't succeed, lobby, lobby again. That's a lesson to be learned from Microsoft and Google, who in 2010 launched advocacy coalition Computing in the Core, which aimed "to strengthen K-12 computer science education and ensure that computer science is one of the core academic subjects that prepares students for jobs in our digital society." In 2013, Computing in the Core "merged" with Code.org, a new nonprofit led by the next door neighbor of Microsoft's General Counsel and funded by wealthy tech execs and their companies. When Code.org 'taught President Obama to code' in a widely-publicized White House event last December, visitor records indicate that Google, Microsoft, and Code.org execs had a sitdown immediately afterwards with the head of the NSF, and a Microsoft lobbyist in attendance returned to the White House the next day with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and General Counsel Brad Smith (who also sits on Code.org's Board) in tow. Looks like all of that hard work may finally pay off. Education Week reports that computer science has been quietly added to the list of disciplines defined as 'core academic subjects' in the Senate draft of the rewritten No Child Left Behind Act, a status that opens the doors to a number of funding opportunities. After expressing concern that his teenage daughters hadn't taken to coding the way he'd like, President Obama added, "I think they got started a little bit late. Part of what you want to do is introduce this with the ABCs and the colors." So, don't be too surprised if your little ones are soon focusing on the four R's — reading, 'riting, 'rithmetic, and Rapunzel — in school!"
I agree with some of what you're pointing out, but I still have to disagree. A lot of people still don't get Math, but we have it as a core class anyways. Mostly because unless we have everyone try it we only find the small percentage that actively sought out Math. The people who may have had the aptitude for it in their Teens that didn't encounter it until their Mid Twenties are a bit past their prime to learn the higher end stuff. Some still do, but its definitely more difficult. Personally I think a CS credit should just be put into the Math as an option to go into CS or Calculus after they've done Algebra, and Geometry. I've yet to see a person who hates, or doesn't get Algebra that could code at all. I've seen people who couldn't do Algebra try, and they never do too well. If you don't get the abstractions of Algebra you'll fail at CS so it should be in the Core in the Math track.