How Silicon Valley Pushed Coding Into American Classrooms
Together with local groups, Mr. Partovi said, Code.org
and Microsoft have helped persuade 24 states to allow computer science to count toward math or science credits required for high school graduation.
“If you are running a tech company,” he said, “it’s extremely hard to hire and retain engineers.”
Code.org is now one of the largest providers of free online coding lessons and more comprehensive computer science curriculums.
It has helped to persuade two dozen states to change their education policies
and laws, Mr. Partovi said, while creating free introductory coding lessons, called Hour of Code, which more than 100 million students worldwide have tried.
“Coding,” Mr. Cook told the president, “should be a requirement in every public school.”
The Apple chief’s education mandate was just the latest tech company push for coding courses in schools.
“Broad public education should not be grounded first
and foremost in the needs of any particular industry — or in the needs of industry as a whole,” he said.
Before Code.org emerged, the National Science Foundation, industry,
and education experts worked for years to develop and spread computer science instruction in schools.
Along the way, Code.org has emerged as a new prototype for Silicon Valley education reform: a social-media-savvy entity
that pushes for education policy changes, develops curriculums, offers online coding lessons and trains teachers — touching nearly every facet of the education supply chain.
