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There Are No Computer Science Teachers in Ny
Robert Rainford, a middle school science teacher in Brooklyn, was one of 40 teachers trained during the summer as part of a software engineering pilot program.
Credit: Buck Ennis / Crain's New York Business
Even as New York City acknowledges the need to teach computer science to its middle and high school students, the state does not officially recognize the subject, which prevents teachers from receiving computer science training. Fewer than 100 of the 75,000 teachers in New York City public schools teach computer science, and it will take years before every middle and high school in the city can offer at least one computer science class.
Although New York offers Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificates, "there is no telling if a teacher with a CTE certificate actually knows any computer science," says Computer Science Teachers Association executive director Chris Stephenson. CTE certificates can be awarded, for example, for simply learning to use computer applications such as Excel.
Public-private efforts such as the New York City Foundation for Computer Science Education are running educator training programs, which have placed computer science teachers in more than two dozen schools this year.
New York City Department of Education deputy chief academic officer Josh Thomases says the city needs to determine which programs work before rolling them out system-wide. Thomases also says his department must work closely with the computer engineering industry to keep coursework current.
From Crain's New York Business
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