New York Times
Obama’s Budget Urges a Deeper Commitment to Computer Education
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR JAN. 30, 2016
WASHINGTON — President Obama will call for spending $4 billion to help states pay for computer science education in the schools when he presents his 2017 budget to Congress, administration officials say.
If approved by the Republican-led Congress, the money will pay for teacher training and instructional materials to increase the amount of instruction in computer science, especially for girls and minorities, the officials said.
Mr. Obama announced the initiative, called Computer Science for All, in his weekly radio address Saturday morning. He urged lawmakers to support the program’s funding in the budget, saying such education would help the nation’s young people succeed in a changing job market.
“In the new economy, computer science isn’t an optional skill — it’s a basic skill, right along with the three Rs,” Mr. Obama said in the address. “Nine out of 10 parents want it taught at their children’s schools.”
Officials said the president’s budget plan, to be officially rolled out on Feb. 9, also calls for sending $100 million directly to school districts to help start computer science education programs. And it directs the National Science Foundation and the Corporation for National and Community Service to spend more than $135 million in existing funds on teacher training over a five-year period beginning this year.
White House officials say the need is critical, in part because other nations are doing a better job educating young people in computer sciences, a fast-growing part of the global economy.
Only a quarter of the elementary, middle and high schools in the United States offer computer science classes, with 22 states not allowing such classes to count toward a diploma, officials said. Only 4,310 of 37,000 high schools in the country offer Advanced Placement computer science classes, they said, putting American children at a disadvantage.
“That’s what this is all about — each of us doing our part to make sure all our young people can compete in a high-tech, global economy,” Mr. Obama said. “They’re the ones who will make sure America keeps growing, keeps innovating and keeps leading the world in the years ahead.”
In addition to federal spending, Mr. Obama is urging private technology companies to do more to support computer science education.
Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, praised that effort in a conference call with reporters that the White House organized on Friday. He said the company, which has already invested in efforts to encourage computer science education, was beginning a 50-state campaign to expand it further.
He called the effort by Mr. Obama and the other companies a “social imperative” for schoolchildren.
“More than anything else, what we’ve learned is that computing and computer science have become foundational for the future,” Mr. Smith said. “This isn’t just a tech issue. This isn’t just an economic issue.”
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