News Update

Efforts to boost computer science education take a hit during Covid-19

Nearly 1 in 5 computer science teachers across the U.S. temporarily suspended instruction during the coronavirus pandemic, and rates are even higher among teachers in high-poverty schools and rural schools, according to a new report from the Computer Science Teachers Association and the Kapor Center, a nonprofit that focuses on equity in the technology field.

The organizations surveyed nearly 3,700 K-12 computer science teachers to understand how the transition to virtual learning has impacted K-12 computing education. More than half of all teachers at schools with higher proportions of Black, Latino and indigenous students said that distance learning posed a major challenge to computer science instruction, according to the report.

The study comes amid a statewide push for more equitable computer science education in California schools, and authors of the report say the report’s findings could exacerbate already disparate access to technology and computer science education across the state.

To build more opportunities for students to learn computer skills that prepare them for jobs in technology, the authors recommend prioritizing closing the gap between students who can access the internet at home and those who can’t, investing in teacher training for computer science and integrating computer science as a core course offering.