Bipartisan education bill makes computer science a priority
The 'Every Student Succeeds' act puts coding on the same level as math and english
Yesterday, the president signed a new education bill designed to replace the 13-year old No Child Left Behind act, reducing federal controls on state education systems -- but it does something else, too. The Ever Student Succeeds act places computer science on the same level as other "well-rounded" subjects. Coding and computer literacy is now just as important as math and science.
It sounds almost like a small change, but the bill will have a huge impact: kind of education organizations like Code.Org have been pushing for is officially considered fundamental coursework by the federal government. The caveat, however, is that implementing computer science courses isn't mandatory -- most states tend to copy federal standards, but the law doesn't explicitly state that they have to.
Still, the new bill represents a big step forward towards making coding and computer science a regular part of our children's education, and that's a good thing.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
