Computing in the Core Merges with Code.org to Expand K-12 Computer Science Education

WASHINGTON - Aug. 16, 2013 - PRLog -- LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., 12 August 2013 – IEEE Computer Society officials are lauding the merger of Computing in the Core and Code.org, a move that is expected to greatly strengthen efforts to improve K-12 computer science education.

Computing in the Core (CinC), of which IEEE Computer Society is a member, is a non-partisan advocacy coalition of associations, corporations, scientific societies, and other non-profits that strives to elevate computer science education to a core academic subject in K-12 education. CinC, producer of Computer Science Education Week, encourages awareness-building activities, policy changes, and research to build a strong foundation for the future of computer science instruction.

Code.org is a non-profit dedicated to growing computer programming education and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to learn computer science. The organization believes that computer science should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry, and algebra.

"There's a well-documented shortage of computer scientists in the United States," said Fabrizio Lombardi, IEEE Computer Society's CinC representative. "Making computer science a recognized subject area in high school is a laudable effort—and the combination of CinC and Code.org increases the chances of this happening."

"It is good for computing," said IEEE Computer Society President David Alan Grier. "The merger will join Code.org's innovative approach with CINC's strategy of policy reform."

Among Code.org's goals:

Bringing computer science classes to every K-12 school in the US, especially in urban and rural neighborhoods.
Demonstrating the successful use of online curriculum in public school classrooms
Changing policies in all 50 states to categorize computer science as part of the math/science "core" curriculum, and
Harnessing the collective power of the tech community to celebrate and grow computer science education worldwide, to change culture, especially among women and minorities. 

With the merger, Code.org and Computing in the Core will assume responsibility for organizing Computer Science Education Week, set for 8-14 December, 2013. Coinciding with the Computing in the Core merger, Seattle-based non-profit Technically Learning is merging with Code.org to help fulfill the organization's bigger mission to bring computer science to every school

About the IEEE Computer Society

The IEEE Computer Society (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/guest/home) is the world’s leading computing membership organization and the trusted information and career-development source for a global workforce of technology leaders including: professors, researchers, software engineers, IT professionals, employers, and students. The unmatched source for information technology training (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/certification/training...), inspiration, and collaboration, the IEEE Computer Society is the source that computing professionals trust to provide high-quality, state-of-the-art information on an on-demand basis. The Computer Society provides a wide range of forums for top minds to come together, including technical conferences (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/conferences/home),  publications (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/publications), and a comprehensive digital library online (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl), unique training webinars (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/webinars), professional training - e-learning courses, and a Corporate Affiliate Program  (http://www.computer.org/portal/web/guest/cap)to help organizations increase their staff’s technical knowledge and expertise.

 

IEEE Computer Society is the producer of Rock Stars of Big Data (http://computer.org/portal/web/Big-Data), 29 October at the Computer History Museum. To find out more about the community for technology leaders, visit http://www.computer.org.