Advocacy Groups Push Coding as a Core Curriculum for Schools

Technology proponents don’t need to make a case for the role of computer science in tomorrow’s job market. Today, it’s self-evident in the economy and daily life.

Tech advocates, however, are calling on educators to prepare students by institutionalizing computer science in core curriculums.

On the front lines of this campaign is Code.org. The advocacy group, which offers educational tools for teachers and students, lobbies to yoke computer science alongside traditional mathematics and science courses at all grade levels. T

he organization gained notoriety in 2013 with its Hour of Code campaign, which, since its launch in December, has drawn more than 38 million students who’ve participated in the campaign’s coding activities -- with 10 million, its initial goal, in the first three days of the campaign.

Roxanne Emadi, a promotional strategist for Code.org, says despite technology's pervasiveness there is great need for educators to distinguish between computer science, the study of how computers work, from technology training, where students learn software programs to accomplish tasks.

"We think there's a big difference between knowing how to use technology and knowing how to create technology,” Emadi said.