Remarks Supporting National Computer Science Education Week

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1560, which designates the week of December 5, 2010, as National Computer Science Education Week to support increased public awareness of, and interest in, the field of computer science and careers in computers.

I am honored to have joined Mr. Ehlers of Michigan for the second year in a row as bipartisan cosponsors in recognizing the critical importance of computer science education to the future of our country and to a strong economy and jobs.

The global competitiveness of our workers and our economy depends on our ability to embrace emergent information in computer technologies. As an Internet entrepreneur myself, who had founded several successful companies before I came to Congress, I learned firsthand how computer technology is transforming people's lives throughout the world and represents a critical strategy for ensuring our country's national competitiveness. The Department of Commerce estimates that there will be 800,000 job openings in computer science over the next 6 years, making it one of the fastest-growing fields in the country, and it's of critical importance, particularly during this recovery.

Computer science also drives innovation across other sectors--in science, technology, engineering, and math. According to the College Board, 4 of the top 10 fastest-growing jobs will be in computer-related fields as our Nation's most innovative and successful companies continue to expand their capabilities. Computer skills, Madam Speaker, are necessary in jobs across the board. From agricultural jobs to office jobs, the way we interact with computers plays a critical role in both our personal and our professional lives.

The types of jobs where we need to do better with regard to computer education include computer system analysts, software engineers, network systems managers, data communication analysts and many others. And yet despite the growing need and the many job openings, there were less than 60,000 Americans that pursued degrees in computer science in 2008.

In my district in Colorado, for example, more than 2,500 computing job openings occur annually, but only 10 students say they intend to major in computer science and 34 took the Advanced Placement computer science exam, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the flagship State university in our Colorado system.

Unless we get more kids interested in computer science degrees and careers, we'll continue to lose our edge in global competitiveness. But that interest starts early, Madam Speaker. We need to start through public education, elementary school, middle school, and high school in giving kids the skills they need to enter these fields in college and professionally.

National Computer Science Education Week provides an important opportunity to highlight the opportunities available in this bill and give kids the skills they need to obtain success, to encourage more students to pursue careers in the fast-growing fields of computing and information technology, and also to highlight the importance of a skilled and diverse workforce that takes full advantage of the great diversity our Nation has to offer to compete for 21st century jobs.

The date of National Computer Science Education Week coincides with the birthday of Grace Hopper, one of the first prominent women in the field of computer science. As a United States Naval officer, Ms. Hopper became a computer programmer and later engineered new programming languages and created standards for computer systems which laid the foundation for major advancements in computer science. The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Hopper was named in her honor.

National Computer Science Education Week can also help expose students to innovative technologies and computer science as early as kindergarten and continuing all the way through college. Students deserve and need access to the technology, qualified teachers, and age-appropriate curriculum at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. These resources encourage students to distinguish between computer literacy and computational thinking, which facilitates new ways to use these powerful tools to approach issues in biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and health care.

In a world dominated by Facebook, iPods, the Web, and the Internet, every child stands to benefit from a rigorous computer science education. And yet today, too few students have the opportunity to take engaging and rigorous computer science courses, and there is far too little diversity among those who do. Low-income, women, and minority students are severely underenrolled in computer science courses and programs, both at the secondary and post-secondary levels, and also in the related professions.

That's why I have introduced H.R. 5929, the Computer Science Education Act, which will help ensure that American students not only use technology but also learn the technical computing skills needed to grow our economy and invent the technology that will drive our economic engine in the future. America simply cannot afford to continue wasting talent and opportunities in this field.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank Representative Ehlers for submitting this resolution and express my strong support for recognizing the week of December 5 as National Computer Science Education Week.

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