Sacramento — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy
CEOs and senior executives, today applauded the California state legislature for
approving AB 2329, legislation which would develop a comprehensive plan for computer science education across
the state.

“Computer science holds the key to addressing
America’s skills crisis,”
said Linda
Moore, president and CEO of TechNet. “By
passing this legislation, California has taken a huge step toward ensuring it
has a plan for scaling CS to every school and every community in the
state. On behalf of our membership, we
thank the legislature for its leadership on this critical issue and call on
Governor Brown to sign this bill into law.”

Sponsored
by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla, Assembly Bill 2329 would establish a diverse advisory
panel to develop a statewide computer science plan.

The Importance of Computer Science
By 2018,
more than half of all science and technology jobs are projected to be in
computer science-related fields. Yet only
one in four high schools offers computer science, and in many schools, girls and
students of color are underrepresented.

Across
the country, there is a sense of urgency to expand computer science education. Large urban school districts, including Chicago,
New York and Oakland, have unveiled ambitious plans to integrate computer science
in K-12 education. And, states, including
Arkansas and Idaho, are allowing students to count computer science toward high
school graduation requirements.

AB 2329
This legislation
ensures that California will have a statewide strategic plan that considers the
following
issues:

  • Who can teach computer science and with what credentials;
  • How to increase the pool of teachers;
  • What computer science standards drive instruction; and
  • How to encourage students to take computer science classes.

This legislation
also ensures that there is engagement from multiple stakeholders, including parents,
teachers, students, advocates, policymakers, and leaders from state and local government.

TechNet’s
California Executive Director Andrea Deveau co-authored an op-ed in the Sacramento Bee
on the importance of passing this legislation with Julie Flapan, executive director
of the Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools. Linda Moore published an op-ed in TechCrunch on
the need for computer science education across the country.

AB 2329 Support

  • TechNet (Sponsor)