Breaking the Code: The State of Computer Science Education in America's Public Schools. White Paper No. 206

In the fall of 2019, well before the appearance of COVID-19, there was heightened concern among U.S. business leaders, economists and investors about a global economic slowdown and the possibility of a recession in 2020. But a downturn in the technology sector was not prominent among their worries. In the decade from 2018 to 2028 computer and information technology (CIT) occupations were expected to grow by 12 percent, adding more than half a million new jobs, well above the average for all occupations, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. In May of 2018, the median annual wage in CIT occupations was $86,320, well above the median annual wage of $38,640 for all occupations. One reaction to the promising labor market was a leap in undergraduate enrollments in computer science (CS) courses and degree programs at U.S. colleges and universities. The number of bachelor's degrees awarded nationally in computer and information science had increased by 74 percent at not-for-profit institutions between 2009 and 2015, compared to a 16 percent increase in bachelor's degrees produced overall. This paper reports on the findings in terms of how CS education is implemented and promoted across the United States, yet it takes no position on the actual need or usefulness of teaching computer science in K-12. Less than half the high schools in the United States teach CS. Girls and students of color are underrepresented in computer science classes. There's a need for more certified computer science teachers and more states to create CS learning standards. Even as computer science has accelerated research in health care, climate change and communications, it still finds itself behind the traditional disciplines of chemistry, biology, and physics within many high schools.