Policy resources

Code.org State Policy Agenda

• 10 policies to make computer science education foundational
• State tracker of our 10 policies

Model Legislation

• Model Legislation for Policies 1-9
• Model Legislation + Guidance for Graduation Requirement

Graduation Requirement Resources

• South Carolina Graduation Requirement Case Study
• Graduation Requirement One Pager
• How States Have Approached Graduation Requirements

State Plan Resources

• State Plan Planning Toolkit
• Guidance for Standards Developers (From the K-12 CS Framework)
• Guidance for Standards Developers Checklist

Funding Resources

• Professional Development Funding Calculator
• Models for Funding Computer Science Professional Development
• State Examples of Budget Language

Requiring All High Schools to Offer Computer Science Resources

• State Examples

Standards Resources

• K-12 CS Framework

Teacher Certification Resources

• Teacher Pathways Recommendations
• Micro-credentials: Addressing certification and professional learning

Computer Science Position within State Education Agency Resources

• Model Job Description

Federal Policy Resources

• Using the Every Student Succeeds Act to Expand Computer Science

Talking Points

Do you need to create a slide deck or one-pager to advocate for computer science in your state or city? The blog posts and links below contain resources and statistics that you can use to make your own custom materials!

Why Study Computer Science?

• Exposure to high school computer science results in economic gains for students, including a 3% higher likelihood of being employed and an 8% increase in earnings at age 24. The gains are even stronger for underrepresented students, with female students seeing a 10% increase in earnings, economically disadvantaged students seeing a 14% increase, and black students a 12% increase. 
• Six different studies show that studying computer science helps students outperform in school and college. Details on each of the studies follow.
• Learning computer science may be linked to improved learning in math: AP® computer science students receive better AP® calculus scores than similarly-situated peers.
• Students who take AP® Computer Science Principles are 12% more likely to enroll in college compared to similarly-situated peers, and students who take any AP® computer science course are 17% more likely to attend college. Further, students who take AP® exams are more likely to graduate 4-year college, even when they don't pass the exam.
• Learning to code on CS Fundamentals helps students learn executive/planning problem-solving skills better than regular math and science.
• University students who studied computer science outperformed in problem solving compared to students who studied other subjects (both STEM and non-STEM).
• Research shows that language skills are more important than math skills in predicting student CS performance.
• The majority of Americans want schools to teach computer science.

Workforce

• On average, a computer science degree from ANY university earns a significantly higher financial return on investment than an arts & humanities degree from even the best schools.
• Many of the top jobs in America involve computer science (the top job? Java developers).
• 91% of open software jobs are outside Silicon Valley, and mid-tech jobs are increasing in the midwest.
• See CompTIA's annual CyberStates report on jobs in tech, including state-by-state data.
• A quarter of all jobs are now "highly digitalized" and they're the highest paying quartile of jobs (up from 5% of jobs in 2002), according to a Brookings report.
• Computer science skills are increasingly valued in marketing and design jobs.
• Universities prepare way fewer computer science teachers than we need.
• University computer science graduates finally surpass the 2003 peak, and three years later, women computer science graduates surpass 2003 record (but percentages still lag).

Diversity in Computer Science

• We compiled and analyzed data on student participation in CS by race/ethnicity and gender (in Code.org's courses, in AP® CS, and in bachelor's degrees earned in CS). View our blog post here, our summary here and download the data set here.
• Women who learn computer science in high school are 5-10 times more likely to major in it in university (5 times if they take AP® CSP, 10 times if they take AP® CS A). Similarly, Black/African American students are 2-7 times more likely and Hispanic/Latino students are 3-8 times more likely to study computer science in university if they take it in high school. First generation college students are also three times as likely to major in computer science if they took AP® CSP in high school.
• The Closing the STEM Gap report from Microsoft explores why girls and women lose interest in STEM subjects and careers, and suggests strategies to reverse the trend.
• Children as young as six develop stereotypes about who is interested in computer science - and stereotypes about interest influence motivation to choose computer science more than stereotypes about ability.

Code.org’s Contribution

• Code.org classrooms with resourceful teachers see higher scores on English, math, and science standardized tests.
• Learning to code on CS Fundamentals helps students learn executive/planning problem-solving skills better than regular math and science.
• A school's participation in the Code.org professional learning program results in an estimated five times increase in AP® CS Principles participation, and a ten times increase among Black students.
• See reporting on Code.org's successful efforts to increase diversity in computer science.
• 20% more high school girls like computer science after an Hour of Code, and both boys and girls show improved self-efficacy and attitudes towards computer science after an Hour of Code.