It has become commonplace to acknowledge the shortage of qualified computer science professionals, the scarcity of programmers, both in the general population, but particularly among those traditionally underrepresented: girls, ethnic minorities, and those on the autism spectrum or with other special needs. One school in Brookline, Massachusetts is aiming to reduce that shortage by integrating coding into every aspect of the curriculum, from art to entrepreneurship, and physics to physiology: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/24689/20150105/this-is-how-a-innovative-school-integrated-coding-into-all-of-its-courses.htm?_cldee=ZHJzdXNhbmJlcm1hbkBhb2wuY29t
They recognize that coding provides students in any subject the power to express ideas in ways they might not otherwise be able to do. Students can write code to make animations and visualizations and to illustrate concepts and simulate natural events. In the social sciences, students can generate their own maps to show the distribution of resources, demographic shifts, and the impact of wars. In math and science, coding teaches students to think computationally and develop algorithms to solve real-world problems.
At Village Glen we embrace such initiatives. We already offer computer science and programming from elementary grades on up, and this semester in the high school we will use Matlab, a high-level language and interactive environment, to further encourage students to explore and visualize ideas and collaborate across disciplines. We challenge our students and teachers to think beyond boundaries and limits, to think broadly about issues, to fully embrace their complexity and ramifications. But we also encourage thinking in depth; we encourage students to penetrate to the heart of an issue, and in so doing tease out the strands of a meaningful solution.
We believe that computer science has a fundamental role to play in such endeavors and that digital literacy is no less important to our students than numeracy or reading and writing. Village Glen students are exceptional—that is why they deserve an exceptional education.