Washington will require all high schools to offer CS, allocates funding for teacher PD

The Washington state legislature wrapped up for the year a few weeks ago, but not before making huge gains for computer science.

Governor Jay Inslee has signed three bills into law that will significantly increase access to computer science across Washington state. SB 5088, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Wellman, would require each high school to offer a computer science course and would drastically increase access to in-demand courses for all students. HB 1577, sponsored by Rep. Lisa Callan and Sen. Jesse Salomon, would require all K–12 schools to report what computer science courses their schools offer and who is taking computer science. This would establish a clear picture of progress across Washington to date, and reveal areas to improve.

And today, Gov. Inslee signed the 2020–21 budget, which allocates $2 million towards the computer science education grant program. Since 2015, Gov. Inslee has championed these grants to expand computer science professional learning opportunities for teachers and support innovative ways to introduce students — especially students from historically underrepresented groups — to computer science.

“One of Washington’s greatest assets has been our incredible culture of innovation, and when we can give our students the opportunity to learn computer science, we’re fostering the next generation of creators, inventors, and problem-solvers,” says Gov. Inslee. “Computer science education is a critical component of a 21st-century education, and I’m proud that every student will have even more opportunities to build the skills to thrive in our increasingly technological world.”

Way to go, Washington!