Communications of the ACM
'For All' in 'Computer Science For All'
Credit: Monkey Business Images
On January 30, 2016, President Obama announced the "Computer Science For All" initiative to expand K–12 computer science education in the United States: $4 billion to prepare teachers, expanding access to materials, and building effective partnerships. The goal of this initiative is: "... to empower all American students from kindergarten through high school to learn computer science and be equipped with the computational thinking skills they need to be creators in the digital economy, not just consumers, and to be active citizens in our technology-driven world. Our economy is rapidly shifting, and both educators and business leaders are increasingly recognizing that computer science (CS) is a "new basic" skill necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility."a
The effort builds on Exploring Computer Science (ECS)b and AP Computer Science Principles (CPS)c to reach many more students. These efforts focus on high school. "All" students must include K–8 efforts by Code.org, ACM, and CSTA. This column clarifies the meaning of "For All" in "Computer Science For All." Diverse students will take computer science, so effective curricula must embrace students with different backgrounds and accessibility needs.
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