The budget released by President Barack Obama this week calls for a $4 billion initiative to expand access to K-12 computer science. We appreciate the president's recognition of this issue and are proud to say our states are leading the nation in expanding access to this critical subject. In fact, our states are already leading a wave within the nation to bring computer science into our schools. Only 1 in 4 schools in the U.S. teach computer science, but 90 percent of parents are demanding access for their children. It's clear that we need to expand computer science instruction, and we can.
We already see and feel the impact of the unmet need for employees with computer-science knowledge and skills in our states. According to The Conference Board, in our states combined right now there are almost 22,000 open computing jobs. And these are among the highest paying jobs nationwide, with salaries more than double the median wage.
As leaders working to grow our state economies, we are excited to see computer science degrees growing again after years of decline. However, most students don't have access to computer science before leaving high school. Last year, nearly 4.5 million college-level Advanced Placement exams were administered, but fewer than 50,000 of those were the AP computer science exam.
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The equity gap in computer science education is equally disturbing. Only 22 percent of the AP computer science exams are taken by women, and 13 percent are taken by underrepresented students of color. At the post-secondary level, only 17 percent of bachelor's degrees in computer science were earned by women in 2013, and 17 percent were earned by underrepresented students of color.
Lack of access for underrepresented groups doesn't just deny them opportunities to begin pathways toward high-paying, high-demand careers. It also cuts them off from participating in a new type of literacy that every student needs in the 21st century. Studying computer science not only enables careers in computing but provides skills like logic and critical thinking to understand how the Internet works or how to analyze big data that will increasingly drive innovation in every field.
The good news is that states can make some immediate changes to begin to prepare a new generation of innovators, creators and software engineers. Last year, we worked with our legislators – both Democrats and Republicans – to build a strong technology workforce by creating an initiative to expand access to K-12 computer science. For example, in Arkansas, enrollment in computer science courses by female and minority students has significantly increased (300 percent and 152 percent respectively). In Washington last year, enrollment for AP computer science increased by 70 percent, with a 12 percent growth in female representation. Reforms, including requiring all schools to offer computer science courses and allowing computer science to be a graduation credit in lieu of a math or science course, have prompted the increase in interest and enrollment.
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Both Arkansas and Washington are investing millions in professional development to train computer science teachers. Why? Investing in our teachers' professional learning has the most immediate, significant and impactful returns in increasing access to computer science by expanding course offerings.
Additionally, both of our states have prioritized computer science as a critical academic subject by working toward state-based K-12 computer science standards and allowing computer science courses to count towards a core high school graduation credit. Arkansas has approved K-8 standards in computer science, including a coding block at the middle-school level, so that all students are educated in computer science. Washington has initiated a process to adopt full K-12 computer science standards that will conclude later this year.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2024, there will be more than 800,000 new jobs in STEM fields. Two-thirds of those jobs are computing occupations. Who will fill these jobs if our children are not given the opportunity to gain the skills needed? How will we address diversity within these jobs if the majority of our students aren't offered a single opportunity to try computer science in K-12? States need to come together and lead this national wave, because we understand the unique challenges our individual communities face in education. We look forward to working with other state leaders and the Obama administration to give every student a chance to participate in computer science education.
