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A photo of state Rep. Rosemary Brown (R-Scott Run) during a recent legislative debate.
There are thousands of computer science jobs available in Pennsylvania. State Rep. Rosemary Brown wants the commonwealth’s school systems to provide employees to fill these jobs.
Brown, R-Scottish, has proposed a bill that would require the state Department of Education to develop a plan to increase access to computer science in Pennsylvania schools to fill what Brown sees as gaps in the state’s education policy. A memorandum of co-sponsorship has been distributed. .
“Computing and computer science have become a fundamental part of daily life, commerce, and nearly every profession in the modern economy.” Brown wrote in his memo: “Data shows that exposure to computer science as part of the school curriculum encourages more students to pursue careers in computer science. In Pennsylvania alone, there are an average of more than 15,000 job openings in the computer science field each month. Yes, it is essential that the K-12 education system exposes students to the fundamental field of computer science that will change the way they think about the world. You can get a job that does.”
In January 2018, the State Board of Education approved the Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 standards. These standards establish skills that students should know by the end of a particular grade, but they do not mandate that schools offer computer science. The state Department of Education’s website says state officials expect there to be 590,000 new and replacement computer science jobs in Pennsylvania by 2026, an increase of more than 9% in STEM-related jobs. . Over the next 10 years, state officials predict that 71% of new jobs will require computer science skills.
Statistics from the state Department of Education also support Brown’s claims about the number of open computing jobs in the state, with an average of 13,000 open computing jobs each month. The average salary for these jobs is he $101,047.
There are nine STEM ecosystems in Pennsylvania that help create STEM learning opportunities and experiences, but none come close to Warren County. The closest ones are Pittsburgh and the state’s center, and most of the STEM ecosystem is near Harrisburg and Philadelphia.
Brown wants the Department of Education’s plan to include social media security training, but the centerpiece is to strengthen computer science courses in school districts across the state. She said 28 other states are developing statewide plans to increase access to computer science education. Brown hopes Pennsylvania’s plan will serve as a roadmap to address policy and implementation issues for integrating computer science into school curricula, including equitable access across school districts.
“Following the development and publication of the plan, my bill will ensure that every high school student in Pennsylvania has access to computer science as part of their school curriculum.” Brown wrote. “All students have the ability to learn and lead in computer science. If we believe that this is a foundational subject that all students will benefit from learning, we cannot leave that opportunity to chance. That is becoming increasingly clear.”
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