Tim Cook Among CEOs Calling for Greater Computer Science K-12 Education

14 JULY 2022 - What do Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg have in common? If you said a deep, searing hatred for each other, maybe. There’s a good thing they have in common, though. A report from 9 to 5 Mac points to a letter the two have signed, calling for a greater emphasis on teaching kids to code. The letter, addressed to “Governors and Education Leaders of the United States of America,” calls on those leaders to “update the K-12 curriculum in each state, for every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science.” Quoting the letter:

At a time when every industry is impacted by digital technology, our schools should teach every student how technology works, to learn to be creators, not just consumers. Instead, this basic skill is taught only to the lucky few, leaving most students behind, especially young women and students of color.

The need is there on a few levels. For one, the letter says, the US “has over 700,000 open computing jobs but only 80,000 computer science graduates a year.” Additionally, the letter says:

…global cyber attacks have put a new spotlight on cybersecurity, making computer science a national security imperative for government and business alike.

And they say, “Studies now show that students who learn computer science outperform in school, university, and beyond.” As for where to get the necessary computers, the letter says when schools closed for COVID-19, “America funded laptops for 90% of students to learn from home. As schools reopen,” they say, those laptops should be used “to teach computer science.”

Other strange bedfellows on the list include Sheryl Sandberg, Michael Dell, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and the list goes on. You can read the full letter and list of signatories at ceosforcs.com.