Science Report Roundup

Computer Science

By Carmen Constantinescu — June 07, 2016 1 min read
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Computer science classes, as they’re currently operating in the nation’s schools, are insufficient to meet the nation’s growing demand for jobs in that field, according to a new report.

The analysis released last week by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation draws on data from Code.org to project that by 2020, the U.S. labor market will be 1 million qualified graduates short of the 1.4 million it will need to meet industry demand.

Among the problems cited in the report are: a shortage of qualified teachers to teach computer science in K-12 public schools; a focus on basic computer literacy and coding over more-complex knowledge of programming paradigms, algorithms, and data structures; class cancellations caused by underenrollment; and a tendency for computer science classes to be offered as electives rather than core subjects.

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A version of this article appeared in the June 08, 2016 edition of Education Week as Computer Science

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