I often write about how computer programming is not being taught in schools, making it the responsibility of parents to take charge (be sure to check our Bay Area events calendar). This is unfortunately the current reality in the United States, but the rest of the world is not necessarily in the same boat. Some countries are in a better position to overhaul their education system to include computer science and some already have!
Google’s Eric Schmidt is helping the initiative in the United Kingdom. Over the next few years over 100 specialist teachers will be trained, which is a smart people first approach. The Guardian newspaper also has frequent articles about kids programming, including one that inspired this article.
Israel and South Korea are probably in the lead for kids computer science education. Both countries realized the importance of kids starting the subject early and updated their curriculum years ago. The Netherlands also has an impressive tradition of computer science education.
Another up-and-comer is New Zealand. They recently updated their school curriculum to include programming. They are also a leader in teaching computer science without a computer – the Computer Science Unplugged movement.
The world has taken notice, but it will take too long for the United States to make substantial changes to our education system. To quote Gandhi – be the change you wish to see in the world – contact us about how to take charge of your student’s computer science education.