ACR 108, Wagner. Education: Computer Science Education Week.
This measure would designate the week of December 8, 2014, as Computer Science Education Week.
WHEREAS, The field of computer science plays a critical role in transforming society; and
WHEREAS, Computer technology is an integral part of the culture and is transforming how people interact with each other and the world around them; and
WHEREAS, The field of computer science is transforming industry, creating new fields of commerce, driving innovation in all fields of science, and bolstering productivity in established economic sectors; and
WHEREAS, The field of computer science underpins the information technology sector of our economy, which is a significant contributor to the economic output of the United States; and
WHEREAS, The information technology sector is uniquely positioned to help with economic recovery through research and development of new innovations; and
WHEREAS, With the growing importance of computing in society, the need for pupils to understand the fundamentals of computing and the significant challenges elementary and secondary computer science education faces, broad support for computer science education is needed to catalyze reform; and
WHEREAS, Providing pupils a chance to participate in high-quality computer science activities exposes them to the rich opportunities the field offers and provides critical thinking skills that will serve them throughout their lives; and
WHEREAS, Computer science education is important in the development of higher order thinking skills of pupils; and
WHEREAS, Elements of computer science courses benefit all pupils, not just those who are studying to become computer programmers; and
WHEREAS, A strong computer science education with basic skills in computational thinking is beneficial to all pupils; and
WHEREAS, All pupils deserve a thorough preparation in computer science education, including access to qualified teachers, technology, and age-appropriate curriculum needed to learn computer science at the elementary and secondary levels of education; and
WHEREAS, Computer science education has challenges to address, including distinguishing computer science from technology literacy and providing adequate professional development for computer science teachers; and
WHEREAS, The field of computer science has significant equity barriers to address, including attracting more participation by females and underrepresented minorities to all levels and branches; and
WHEREAS, Advances in computer science depend upon the contribution of all, irrespective of race, gender, or age; and
WHEREAS, Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first females in the field of computer science, engineered new programming languages and pioneered standards for computer systems, which laid the foundation for many advancements in computer science; and
WHEREAS, The goals of Computer Science Education Week are to highlight the crucial role that computer science plays in transforming our society and how computer science enables innovation and creates economic opportunities and to examine making computer science classes a core part of California pupils’ education by allowing these classes to count toward the mathematics or science credits necessary to fulfill graduation requirements rather than an elective; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the week of December 8, 2014, as Computer Science Education Week; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
Corrected 5-29-14 98