In modern times, technology has slowly replaced many aspects of our lives and many of us have grown dependent on it. As technology becomes more implemented in our everyday lives, it is evident that it will continue to grow. Based on our reliance on computers, shouldn’t schools prioritize computer science classes with technology taking over our education system, communication, and even entertainment?
Most high schools require students to take STEM courses. At Alisal however, there is no requirement for technology-based courses. While we offer AP courses for science, English, and math there are none available for technology. According to the article, 404 teacher_not_found, “Only 40% of California schools offer computer science courses, lower than the national average of 53%.”
So why does this matter? As technology grows students should become exposed to this new way of life. Going back to the article 404 teacher_not_found, job opportunities in this field are “expected to rise 14.6% from 2021 to 2031.” Essentially students who want to grow in the computer science field are given no resources and are put at a disadvantage compared to other students.
Considering that jobs in computer science fields are expected to rise in the future, it would be essential for students to have more opportunities to explore this field. “In today’s economy, everything is based on using computers so they would benefit by having accessibility to other technology and pretty much be able to do all the jobs that people in Silicon Valley are able to do,” Computer Science 1 teacher Servando Narvaez said.
Here at Alisal, students who are interested in the field of computer science are given the option between only two classes: Game Design and Introduction to Computer Science 1/2. While these classes are enough to cover the basics of computer science, students feel as if it is not enough preparation for those who are interested in pursuing a career in this field. “So far these two classes that I’ve taken only take JavaScript and I don’t know in college what other languages they might require or need,” senior Emmanuel Laureano said. “This is just the basic stuff so I don’t feel like it will prepare me enough for how advanced the courses will be in college.”
The reason most students don’t know about these classes is because there is little to no recruitment for them and with no students there are no classes. “The classes are present in this school but again they need to grow so more commercializing of these classes, have flyers sent out, and so on, so students know about them and I believe then that the number of classes can grow,” Engineering teacher Lorand Inzce said.
Students might be reluctant to join these classes due to the difficult material being taught. Speaking from experience, I was very nervous about joining the Game Design class; however, as the class progressed I realized that there was nothing to be scared of. “Anyone can sign up for the class regardless of their background knowledge,” Narvaez said. “We always start from the basics assuming that students have no knowledge then we build from there. As long as the students have a solid math background they would be able to come in and be successful in the class. If the students have prior knowledge there are additional projects that they can complete and they would extend their learning.”
According to an informal survey of 189 students, 39.4% would be interested in taking a computer science class. However, only 30.9% of students would consider taking the AP due to the intimidating nature of the class.
While other high schools in the district offer at least one AP course in computer science, Alisal still doesn’t. “It’s a numbers game because the numbers have been consistently low the past few years, and what we ultimately want is like computer science and then the next level of computer science, if we get the next level then students become completers and that’s what we ultimately want but we haven’t had the numbers to fill that, ” Assistant Principal Tiffany Ayala said.
This year, teachers are working harder to introduce more computer science classes and hopefully get an AP Computer Science course available to students soon. “So Mr. Narvaez teaches computer science and so this year he had talked to myself and Mr. Ledesma and he’s actually going to go into some sophomore classes to do presentations on what computer science is to try and recruit more students to sign up,” Ayala said.
So why don’t we offer AP computer science classes at Alisal? “The biggest thing is as long as we have, first of all, teacher interest which it shows that we do, and second would be student interest, and then after that, we’re able to provide teachers with training either we would send them to an AP summer institute or the AP annual conference,” AP Coordinator Julio Gonzalez said.
Hypothetically, if an AP Computer Science class were to be introduced here at Alisal we would have all the resources available to open up a section; however, it all falls back on student interest. “We need more students in computer science, but that only happens if you go out, advertise, and show kids what you do in the class for them to want to take it,” Ayala said. “It’s on a list of things to take but if you don’t know what it is that could be really intimidating just to choose computer science.”
