Should CS Be Required for a High School Degree?

When it comes to the official requirements for graduating from a U.S. high school, there's a push for changes. Long-time Slashdot reader theodp looks at 2014:Making computer science courses 'count' would not require schools to offer computer science or students to study it," Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi emphasized to lawmakers in his 2014 Congressional testimony following the nation's first Hour of Code, an event organized and run by the tech-backed nonprofit. "It would simply allow existing computer science courses to satisfy a requirement that already exists." But as the nation's 10th annual Hour of Code kicks off on Monday, Code.org has reversed course on that no-required-CS stance. Speaking at last month's 2022 National Summit on Education, Partovi said, "I want to close with one quick request, which is to talk about "the idea of computer science as a high school graduation requirement for every student (PDF slides). Which may sound controversial, but my goal for the end of this decade is to make that possible in all 50 states" (YouTube). The announcement comes just months after a who's who of the nation's tech leaders - organized as CEOs for CS by Code.org - joined in a PR campaign that publicly pressed 'the Governors of the United States' to sign a Compact To Expand K-12 Computer Science Education.

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