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Clinton Foundation: Kids' Lack of CS Savvy Threatens the US Economy
theodp writes: As the press digs for details on Clinton Foundation donations, including a reported $26+ million from Microsoft and Bill Gates, it's probably worth noting the interest the Clintons have developed in computer science and the role they have played — and continue to play — in the national K-12 CS and tech immigration crisis that materialized after Microsoft proposed creating such a crisis to advance its 'two-pronged' National Talent Strategy, which aims to increase K-12 CS education and the number of H-1B visas. Next thing you know, Bill is the face of CS at the launch of Code.org. Then Hillary uses the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference to launch a Facebook, Microsoft, and Google initiative to boost the ranks of female and students of color in CS, and starts decrying woeful CS enrollment. Not to be left out, Chelsea keynotes the NCWIT Summit and launches Google's $50M girls-only Made With Code initiative with now-U.S. CTO Megan Smith. And last December, the Clinton Foundation touted its initiatives to engage middle school girls in CS, revamp the nation's AP CS program, and retrain out-of-work Americans as coders. At next month's CGI America 2015, the conference will kick off with a Beer Bust that CGI says "will also provide an opportunity to learn about Tech Girls Rock, a CGI Commitment to Action launched by CA Technologies in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that helps girls discover an interest in tech-related educational opportunities and careers." On the following days, CGI sessions will discuss tech's need for a strong and diverse talent pipeline for computer and information technology jobs, which it says is threatened by "the persistent poor performance of American students in science, technology, engineering, and math," presenting "serious implications for the long-term competitiveness of the U.S. economy." So what's the long-term solution? Expanding CS education, of course!
The possibility of a good paying job in software development when they graduate college. Maybe even with the company paying off their student loans for them.
Instead of the chance to compete against low-balling H1B applicants...
These kids should learn by running their own email server at home!
-Women aren't in tech because the STEM world is misogynistic
-I'll bet you are a women's studies major
-Yes I am, what has that got to do with it?
-Why didn't you study STEM?
SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
Seriously though, you're right. The best thing I ever learned was that sometimes, "the best I had" simply wasn't good enough.
As other posters have noted, they aren't really interested in creating good computer scientists, they're interested in creating:
An internal system operation returned the error "The operation completed successfully.".
Red pens and *gasp* telling children they got the wrong answer! A failing grade inflicts unforgivable trauma on the psyches of our little snowflakes.
if little johnny snowflake cant handle a red mark on his paper, then compiler errors are gonna beat his ass and steal his lunch.