Communications of the ACM
Schools Get Creative with Computer Science Teaching
Bellbrook High School's computer science offerings have evolved from keyboarding and basic Microsoft Office skills to Java programming and game development.
Credit: Marshall Gorby / Dayton Daily News
Ohio's educational institutions are mobilizing to improve how they teach computer science to kids in K-12 schools.
A 2022 study by the Code.org Advocacy Coalition found that only 22% of the state's urban school districts offered foundational computer science courses compared, to 57% of suburban schools.
Ohio recently invested heavily in changing this. Last month, the Ohio State Board of Education approved an updated Model Curriculum for Computer Science. The 400 pages of guidance for local districts recommends students as early as kindergarten learning to protect passwords and understand the basics of artificial intelligence, and high schoolers using cybersecurity concepts like cluster computing and quantum key distribution.
The State Committee on Computer Science, formed by this year's state budget, outlined 10 recommendations intended to help make Ohio a "national leader in computer science education and workforce pipeline," state officials said. These include a commitment by the state to fund computer science courses at 1% of the K-12 funding formula, as well as making a single credit computer science course a high school graduation requirement.
From Dayton Daily News
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