Tennessee among the first states to require computer science for high schoolers
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Starting with the class of 2028, Tennessee high school students must take at least one computer science course before they can graduate.
Why it matters: The new policy, which state lawmakers approved unanimously in 2022, was designed to prepare students for an influx of jobs that require a deeper understanding of technology and AI.
The latest: Top business leaders are urging states nationwide to follow Tennessee's lead.
- More than 200 CEOs signed a letter this month urging state leaders to mandate artificial intelligence and computer science classes as a high school graduation requirement.
- Signees included leaders of American Express, Airbnb, Dropbox, LinkedIn, Salesforce, Microsoft, Yahoo, Zoom and Uber.
State of play: Tennessee is one of 12 states that already have a computer science mandate in place, per Code.org.
How it works: The new graduation requirement kicked in for freshmen who entered high school last fall.
- In addition to the high school requirement, the law also required schools at every level to enhance their computer science offerings.
By the numbers: The state logged a massive uptick in computer science enrollment even before the graduation requirement began.
- Middle and high school student enrollment in computer science courses sat at 32,893 statewide during the 2020-21 school year.
- It shot to 60,217 by the 2023-24 school year.
What they're saying: "To be a full participant in the economy and the world, you have to be able to understand the technology that's driving the world," state Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) tells Axios.
- Yarbro helped push Tennessee to draft a plan for its approach to computer science education. The plan called for more course options statewide.
- "I want our students and people generally to be able to understand and shape these technologies more than be shaped by them."
The bottom line: Students who attend high schools that offer a computer science course end up earning 8% higher salaries than those who don't, regardless of career path or whether they attend college, according to a report by the Brookings Institution. (The study examined the impact of giving students access to computer science classes, not of requiring it.)
- The effects are more significant for students who haven't historically been well represented in computer science fields, like female students, Black students, and students from lower socioeconomic status backgrounds.