Dorn, B., Babb, D., Nizzi, D. M., & Epler, C. M. (2015). Computing on the silicon prairie: The state of CS in Nebraska public schools. In Proceedings of the 46th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 296-301). New York: ACM.

Summary

Type: Empirical

Purpose: The authors "explore the current state of computer science education in Nebraska public schools using objective enrollment data from the 2013–2014 academic year" (p. 296).

Findings: The authors "find limited access to introductory programming courses, while basic computer/IT literacy coursework is commonplace. Lack of CS courses is particularly acute in small schools, which make up a majority of Nebraska’s public schools" (p. 296). "Twenty-two states (including the District of Columbia) currently offer some form of CS or IT teaching certification [4]. Only two (Arizona and Wisconsin) require it to teach computing courses, another 7 require it to teach AP CS A, and the remaining 13 offer certification but do not require it to teach computing courses. Nebraska falls in the third group and offers a supplemental K-12 endorsement in Information Technology which must be added to a full licensure in any other primary endorsement area (e.g., secondary mathematics, business, language arts)" (p. 299).

Recommendations:

Methodology

Sample Size: 18

Notes: Data are enrollment data for 18 computer courses in the area of computing, communications, design, and communication and info systems