"Searching for Computer Science: Access and Barriers in U.S. K-12 Education"
Principals and superintendents underestimate how much support there is among parents for teaching K-12 computer science in school, according to a Gallup survey, commissioned by tech-giant Google.
Just 7 percent of principals and 6 percent of superintendents said the "demand is high" among parents for computer science education. Yet 67 percent of parents said they thought students should be required to learn computer science in school.
The survey also shows that one-quarter of 7th to 12th graders reported having no access to a computer science class or club at school, and the lack of access is particularly acute for black and low-income students.
Gallup researchers interviewed a nationally representative sample of about 1,700 middle and high school students, 1,700 parents, and 1,000 teachers via telephone last year for their report. Another 9,700 K-12 principals and 1,900 district superintendents were surveyed online.
Vol. 35, Issue 02, Page 5