More than 250 CEOs called for state leaders to adopt a computer science graduation requirement for all high school students in an open letter published recently by nonprofit CS for All, according to an article in K-12 Dive. This is needed to prepare graduates for an increasingly artificial-intelligence-reliant workforce, the CEOs emphasized.
About 6.4% of high school students take computer science courses annually, according to an October 2024 report from the Computer Science Teachers Association, which wants to see that figure jump to 25% to guarantee all high school students are enrolled in the subject over the course of their high school education.
Requiring high school students to take just one computer science class could help close wage gaps, “unlock $660 billion in economic potential every year,” and train the future workforce in much-needed skills, according to the letter signed by CEOs ranging from Microsoft’s Satya Nadella to College Board’s David Coleman.
The letter said that the U.S. is “falling behind” when it comes to global competition, as countries such as Brazil, China and South Korea have already mandated requirements for every student to learn about computer science or AI.
There are huge risks for students who don’t know how to critically analyze how and when to use AI tools, says Jake Baskin, executive director of the Computer Science Teachers Association and a cosigner of the letter.
Baskin says he hopes that in the future everyone, regardless of their profession, will have a strong foundational understanding that AI tools are created by humans and not by “magic,” and that they can make mistakes that can come with ethical implications when introduced.
But barriers to requiring computer science graduation requirements persist. Finding and hiring enough teachers to meet K-12 demand for the subject is a persistent, says Katy Knight, president and executive director of the Siegel Family Endowment.
Some of the endowment’s work includes funding hands-on classroom coaching with teachers who don’t have a background in computer science to instruct on the subject, Knight says.
“There is no AI without computer science,” Knight says.
K-12 Dive
