Sec. 50102. Findings

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Congress finds that: Computer science is transforming industry, creating new fields of commerce, driving innovation, and bolstering productivity. There are more than 520,000 computing jobs unfilled in the United States as of January 2017. It is projected that there will be 1,400,000 new jobs in the technology sector by 2020; however, 70 percent of those jobs will be unfulfilled at the rate American universities are producing qualified graduates. Knowledge of computer science and use of technology is increasingly essential for all individuals, not just those working or planning to work in the technology sector.

Providing students with computer science education in elementary school and secondary school is critical for student success, and strengthening the workforce of a 21st century economy. While an estimated 90 percent of parents want computer science taught in their children’s schools, just 25 percent of all elementary schools and secondary schools offer high-quality computer science instruction that includes programming and coding. African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders are disproportionately underrepresented in the technology sector.

About 9 percent of graduates from the Nation’s top computer science programs are from underrepresented minority groups. However, only 5 percent of employees at large tech firms belong to an underrepresented minority group While underrepresented minority students overall face an opportunity gap in STEAM education, women of color particularly face an achievement gap in science and engineering education. In 2012, while women received 48.8 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in science and engineering majors, women of color received only 15.7 percent (Black: 5.3 percent;

Latino: 5.5 percent; Native American or Alaska Native: 0.3 percent, and Asian or Pacific Islander: 4.6 percent). Women overall face challenges in accessing computer science education. Only 18 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer science in 2012 went to women, and women of color received only 6.6 percent (Black: 3.0 percent; Latino: 1.7 percent; Native American or Alaska Native: 0.1 percent, and Asian or Pacific Islander: 1.8 percent). Disparities in enrollment and academic achievement start early.

In 2016, only 23 percent of students taking the AP Computer Science exam were women, and just 16 percent were African-American or Latino. Nationwide, only 88 Native American students took the AP Computer Science exam in 2016, a decrease from 2015. This means that while Native Americans make up about 1.1 percent of the U.S. student population, they made up 1/5 of a percent of students who took AP Computer Science exams in 2016.