Surfacing computer science in STEM education
Discussion regarding proposals and polices to improve Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in K-12 now span from local school boards up to the President of the United States [1]. It is no longer a question of whether STEM education will be a focus within K-12 education; it is how the United States and other nations are going to accomplish reform. Despite this attention, the computing education community still has important questions about whether STEM really includes all disciplines and whether the push toward "core" subjects [2] will leave sufficient room for rigorous and engaging computer science courses. This special session will present new research reflecting how computer science education is treated in each of the 50 states coupled with perspectives on the national education policy landscape and strategies for reform. It will connect the broad SIGCSE community to the policy issues by giving them new data and a call to action to help surface computer science within STEM in the discussions that are now happening around the country.
