Philly teachers are prioritizing computer science, but they need more staff to keep it up

Computer science educators want students to know that the subject is open to anyone, but they need more support to prove it. 

High school students from across the city gathered at the University City Science Center on Wednesday to participate in games and activities for Computer Science Education Week, hosted by education organization CS4Philly. 

Programs like this are opportunities to expose students to computer science and show them what a future tech career could look like, according to Naomi Housman, cofounder of CS4Philly. Events aren’t the only thing that will propel computer science education forward in Philly, though, there needs to be equal opportunities throughout the district and appropriate staffing to teach the subject, educators said.  

“There needs to be a stackable sequence that creates exposure, and then you expand on that exposure to actually build a clear skill,” Nick Imparato, high school program director at tech education program Launchpad, told Technical.ly. “For students that are really passionate, you build on that skill to create a pathway to a sustainable career.”

Computer Science Education Week is a national movement designed to advocate for computer science and celebrate the subject’s educators. This is the first time since the pandemic that CS4Philly has hosted a large in-person event for students to recognize the week. An in-person event meant students could participate in hands-on activities like creative coding games that involved bracelet making and a post-it mural. 

The School District of Philadelphia has recognized Computer Science Education Week for the last 14 years, a positive sign that it’s a priority, Amanda Glenn, a math teacher at Central High School, said.

Events like Wednesday’s create positive exposure for students who aren’t interested in computer science, according to Glenn. Exposing students of all genders, ethnicities and experience levels matters because you never know who will walk away with a new interest.

For Glenn’s AP computer science students, the event teaches skills they can hopefully apply to their coursework, she said. 

“Technology is everything to a child,” Glenn said. “Having more opportunities to be engaged in technology and learn more, I think that’s important.” 

Educators call for better strategy, more teacher certs 

Right now, different schools in the district have different computer science programs and opportunities available, Housman said. That ranges from schools with no computer science courses to schools with robust programs. 

There isn’t an equitable opportunity for all students in Philadelphia to access the subject, she said. 

One strategy to advance computer science education is to create more consistency in learning opportunities between schools and create a stronger districtwide vision, Imparato from Launchpad said. 

There needs to be a stronger vision about what level of computer science education everyone should have, he said. Then, for the students who are really passionate about it, consider what additional resources are available for them. 

Ideally in the future, all students would receive basic computer science education and specialty programs like Launchpad would become a bridge to pursuing a career in the field, not just introducing young people to the topic for the first time, according to Imparato. 

Computer science education needs to start in elementary grades so students have a foundation for computational thinking that they would need in high school courses, Housman said. Having industry, higher education and government stakeholders show support for the subject would also help. 

Even with a clear strategy to bring educational opportunities into all schools, there needs to be enough certified teachers executing it. 

Jumpstart Philly CS4all, a partner of CS4Philly, is working to get more teachers in the school district certified to teach computer science. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Drexel University and Temple University to help teachers get certified in the subject and create community among teachers. 

There are now about 40 certified computer science teachers in the School District of Philadelphia, according to Jeffrey Popyack, a principal investigator on Jumpstart Philly. However, computer science isn’t most of these teachers’ primary subjects. 

“This makes it difficult for [computer science] to have a strong voice in the school,” he said. 

There’s also a lack of college students who are graduating with the intention of teaching computer science, said James Arleth, who teaches the subject to high schoolers at Franklin Learning Center. 

While orgs like Jumpstart Philly do their part to make access to certifications easier, Arleth said many teachers-in-training may not even know it’s a path they could choose.

“When you go for teaching, you pick your discipline, but computer science hasn’t been an option up until now,” Arleth said. “We’re still waiting for the first proper set of new teachers that are specializing in computer science.”