Parents
The role of the parent in a students computer science education is extremely important. You play a large role in the courses your students take, the after school activities they participate in, and the community that is created and maintained at your school. By taking the time understand computer science and the importance of computer science education and actively supporting the efforts of computer science education you can help become a part of the not only your child’s education but also the CS4All movement here in Chicago. If your child gains support from, or is encouraged to take the first steps to begin experimenting with computing, they may begin down the path of computer science even earlier than high school.
To help break down computer science, take a look at what it can do for your child:
| What CS Will Do | What CS Won’t Do |
|---|---|
| - Help students learn how to approach math problems in a new perspective | - Act as a replacement to a math course |
| - Help students use problem solving skills in their other classes | - Act purely as test prep |
| - Help students use problem solving skills in their other classes | - Always produce results that are measurable via code and programs |
| - Help students think through logic problems | - Keep students busy and engaged without direction and participation from other students and educators |
| - Help students think through the design, development, and creation process | - Only guide students through predesigned and prewritten problems and questions |
| - Help students feel empowered to utilize their creativity and build out their ideas | |
| - Provide students with a platform to examine, experiment, and test their theories | |
| - Help students learn fundamentals about language and syntax | |
| - Keep students engaged in a class that is relatable to their everyday lives |
Future Career Opportunity
Every industry is looking for computer scientists, and with an average starting salary of $58,000, according to Forbes, and have more jobs available than students to fill the openings, every computer science student is highly lucrative. Computer science provides students with the opportunity to pursue their technical passions while also having enough freedom to express their creativity through their platform of expression. Computer science is not limiting, by being able to adapt to all mediums and being applicable to all problem areas, students can apply the lessons that they have learned through computer science to anything that they wish.
Get Involved
If you would like to learn more about the work that CS4All is doing inside of CPS and how you can involved through more hands on volunteering and participation there are several opportunities and organizations that have created opportunities for you to do so. Additionally CS4All is an initiative that thrives off of parent and community involvement, through your involvement in student computer science education students will be even more encouraged to pursue his or her path in computing.
Graduation Requirement
This past winter, our district instituted the first purely computer science graduation requirement in the nation. Starting with the graduating class of 2020, all high school students must take and pass at least one full-year computer science course.
The core high school courses consists of two offerings:
Exploring Computer Science (ECS): This course was founded on a K-12/university partnership out of Los Angeles and aims to change the stereotypes around computer science, whether they be belief systems, political, or technical.
Where Can My Child Take CS?
To date, CS4All has CS programs in 89 elementary schools and 74 high schools. Use the map below to see where these schools are and to connect to the school's site to learn more about their individual computer science programs. If you do not see your child's school on the map but you would like them to learn computer science at school please fill out the form below the map to express your interest in bringing computer science to your school.
Why CS? Why Now?
Our goal with CS4All is to ensure that students across the district are afforded the opportunity to receive world-class CS instruction, regardless of the type, size, or socioeconomic status of a school’s students. This policy is designed to encourage and motivate Chicago Public School students to pursue post-secondary preparation in the various fields of computer sciences. This policy is further intended to provide direction to schools for the inclusion of appropriate computer science instruction within the curriculum in all schools and grade levels.