Coding the Future: CodeHS and the Importance of Computer Science in High School

Today’s high school students hardly remember the days before Twitter and Google entered our vocabulary, and they’re preparing to enter a job market where technological skill is a basic requirement for a rapidly increasing number of jobs. So why do only a fraction of American high schools offer computer science courses?

While the necessity for high school STEM education has steadily gained attention in recent years, the field of computer science is relatively neglected. Perhaps the most obvious reason for the lack of high school computer science programs is the challenge of attracting and retaining teachers who are qualified to teach computer science. In a recession-resistant field with an average salary of $88,000 a year, it’s hard to imagine many software engineers stepping away from their positions to become public school teachers. Even colleges have had difficulty hiring enough faculty to keep up with the growing demand for computer science programs.

Code HS

Zach Galant and Jeremy Keeshin, two graduates of and former teaching assistants in Stanford University’s computer science program, have offered a solution in the classic silicon valley format: a startup company. They’re marketing CodeHS as a classroom-ready computer science learning platform that requires no previous experience from students or teachers. The idea is that willing STEM educators and English teachers alike can use CodeHS to teach elective courses with little or no additional training.

The package teaches students enough javascript to create vintage computer games as well as more advanced programs. CodeHS includes video tutorials, online coding exercises and remote tutoring from Stanford computer science graduates, some of whom are software engineers at companies like Facebook and Pinterest. The classroom teacher doesn’t need to be responsible for anything except keeping students focused and on task, although tech-savvy educators can obviously play a more involved role.

The critical difference between CodeHS and other computer science-focused online learning platforms is the tutoring. Coding is best approached as a diverse set of flexible tools that can be used to solve a theoretically infinite number of problems. And while learning to solve problems creatively is incredibly rewarding, it can also be very frustrating. Navigating the inevitable roadblocks on the path to computer science mastery is difficult, but without the guidance of an experienced adult, it can seem impossible.

CodeHS provides the guidance of coding professionals to schools that might not be able to bring qualified computer science teachers into the physical classroom. For individual learners, the program currently costs $25 to $75 per month (depending on how much tutoring is required), but CodeHS works out quotes for schools on a school-by-school basis, which ends up being less expensive than the individual membership. The startup has also been attempting to raise the funds necessary to make their platform available to schools — and particularly underfunded schools — at no cost. And the job opportunities that come with computer science skills would be particularly meaningful to low-income students.

Computer science education is being incorporated into K-12 curriculums in numerous foreign countries. As a leader in technological innovation, it is time for America to take a step beyond STEM education and make computer science accessible to public school students. CodeHS offers a model that might make it possible to do just that.

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