Communications of the ACM
High Schools Not Meeting STEM Demand
Credit: University of Notre Dame
There are more than 42,000 public and private high schools in the United States, but just 2,100 of them offered the Advanced Placement test in computer science last year, a 25 percent drop over the past five years, according to a recent Microsoft report. In addition, only Georgia, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia allow computer science courses to satisfy core math or science requirements.
With an estimated 120,000 new jobs requiring a bachelor's degree in computer science expected in the next year, and almost 3.7 million jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields currently unfilled, computer science is the future, says Microsoft's Brad Smith. One of the problems is that school districts must compete with technology firms for qualified teachers.
"One of the fundamental things we need to do is rethink the way that we recruit, retain, and compensate teachers to be able to deal with this changing labor market," says the American Enterprise Institute's Michael McShane. However, experts note that school districts and businesses also can work together to develop the necessary skills in both teachers and students.
From U.S. News & World Report
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