Code.org on Tuesday partnered with more than 500 companies, nonprofits and academic leaders in issuing a letter directed at state governments and education leaders to update K-12 curricula so all students have the opportunity to learn computer science. The announcement coincides with the National Governors Association Chairman's Initiative for K-12 computer science, led by Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, according to Code.org's news release.
Since releasing the letter, the number of signatories has jumped to more than 700, Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi said in an interview with Government Technology. And these aren’t just any signatories — many are heavy hitters in the tech industry and nonprofit sector, including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon Executive Chair Jeff Bezos and American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten, to name a few.
Partovi said issuing the letter in conjunction with the NGA initiative for computer science in K-12 was to show governors it has strong support in the private sector.
“They recognize that this isn't just a tech issue. This isn't just a jobs issue. It's not just about coding. It's about every industry,” Partovi told GovTech. “It's about foundational learning, and it even involves national security. And getting that message to be heard in the strongest way possible by the governors who are deliberating it as part of the National Governors Association was really an important thing for me.”
Partovi said he hopes to see 50 governors behind the effort, but the letter goes beyond the U.S. and has a global importance, with leaders from other countries tweeting their desire to concoct similar letters directed at their respective leaders.
“What is particularly unique and special (is) leading companies in every sector say we need to teach computer science. That shows that this is a special issue,” he said. "Companies in air travel or finance or retail, or even coffee or clothing or toys and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, they're all joining forces because this is something that's an important foundation for every student in every career."
The hope of Code.org is to make computer science as integral to K-12 as biology or algebra, Partovi said, adding that the specifics to how schools get to that point is not as important as understanding the necessity — that the subject matter is foundational for every student. He said he believes that by the start of the next decade, every state will have made computer science a requirement for graduation.
According to the letter, the U.S. has in excess of 700,000 open computing jobs, with just 80,000 CS graduates each year.
"Every student should learn computer science in the classroom," YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said in a public statement. "When I was young, I didn't see myself as someone who could work in tech, but I took a computer science class in college, and it changed the course of my career. I believe all students should have the opportunity to explore how computer science could impact their lives."
The letter's objectives are twofold. In addition to its main purpose of urging states to update K-12 curricula, the signatories have committed to creating jobs for CS students from all corners of the country, in every sector, the release said.
“You don't just need to move to Silicon Valley or to New York or to Seattle to get a high-paying job,” Partovi said. “Every company in the world needs technologists, and many of them are willing to hire somebody wherever they live so you can work from home. And that means even a small town in a rural area can access the highest-paying jobs in the country. And the key to unlock that is the education system.”
