Washington DC- U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced the introduction of the bipartisan Computer Science Education and Jobs Act with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to address the urgent need for more computer science education in schools. The legislation will strengthen computer science education by changing federal education policies to support providing access to computer science in the country’s elementary, middle and high schools.
“I am proud to introduce the Computer Science Education and Jobs Act in the Senate with Senator Rubio to help our schools improve computer science instruction,” Senator Casey said. “In both the near- and long-term, job opportunities in mathematics and computer science will grow faster than in any other technology sector category. This legislation will give more students the opportunity to position themselves for high-skilled, good paying jobs in the future through the study of computer science.”
Computer science is the primary driver for job growth throughout the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the year 2020, there will be 9.2 million jobs in the STEM fields. Half of those jobs—4.6 million—will be in computing or information technology. Even today, the computing industry is searching for talent to fill thousands of jobs. Currently, not enough students have access to computer science classes, nor are they being encouraged to take these courses. Computer science educators don’t have access to the same professional supports as their colleagues who teach other disciplines.
This legislation will clarify federal polices to make sure computer science programs in states are eligible for federal funding. It will also make these courses available to more students and support the computer science educators who teach them. This legislative proposal does not create any new programs; it simply revises certain definitions and programs to clearly offer computer science as an option to state and local educators deciding how to prepare the country’s young people for the future.
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