Science
Commitment to Coding
President Barack Obama announces a plan to help students learn computer science
Following up on a proposal he made during his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama announced on January 30 his new Computer Science for All initiative. The $4 billion plan aims to fulfill Obama’s commitment to “offer every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one,” as he described in his annual speech to Congress.
The CS for All initiative is intended to provide every student between kindergarten and 12th grade with computer science education. The $4 billion would be distributed to states over three years, with $100 million going directly to school districts, to train teachers and purchase high-quality instructional materials.
“In the new economy, computer science isn’t an optional skill—it’s a basic skill, right along with the three ‘R’s,’ ” Obama said in his weekly radio address on January 30.