CSEdWeek 2012 | Day 1: Celebrate with ScratchEd!

CSEdWeek is a week-long celebration throughout the United States that highlights the impact of computing and the need for computer science education.

CSEdWeek has been recognized since 2010 as the week containing December 9th, commemorating Grace Hopper’s birthday (December 9, 1906) and each year, ScratchEd joins in the celebration -- check out 2010 and 2011 feature series. This year, CSEdWeek is taking place from December 9-15, 2012 and ScratchEd will be contributing to the CSEdWeek festivities by featuring stories and resources related to broadening awareness and participation in computing using Scratch.

To help kick off the week, we thought we'd start by giving people a sense of the impact of and need for computer science education. Here are a few facts from the CSEdWeek website that illustrate the status of computing and computer science education in the United States.

Key Facts About Computer Science

• By 2018, current government projections show that more than 800,000 high-end computing jobs will be created in the economy, making it one of the fastest growing occupational fields.
• Five of the top ten fastest growing jobs will be in computing-related fields ( i.e., computer software engineer jobs expected to grow 45% over the next five to seven years).
• Computer science and computer engineering bachelor degrees are in high demand and command two of the top three average salary offers from employers among all majors.
• The percent of high schools with rigorous computer science courses fell from 40% to 27% from 2005-2009.
• The percent of high schools with introductory computer science courses fell from 78% to 65% from 2005-2009.
• The majority of states have no certification for computer science teachers; in states where certification or endorsement exists, the requirements may have little, if any, computer science content.
• Only 17% of AP computer science test-takers in 2008 were women, although women represented 55% of all AP test-takers.
• Participation in computer science AP tests among underrepresented minorities has increased in the past 10 years but is only 11%, compared to 19% of all AP test-takers.

Read about this and more on the CSEdWeek website, where you can sign the pledge, post an event you're hosting in celebration of CSEdWeek, or search for local activities and events taking place near you.