The Speed of Moore’s Law: Elevating the Value of Civics and Computer Science Education

Abstract

In February of 2019, the New York Times published the article, “The Two Codes Your Kids Need to Know” which described the College Board’s efforts to elevate civics and computer science courses as necessary components of a 21st Century high school education. In this Capstone, I describe my efforts as a resident who was tasked with ensuring the College Board’s nascent Two Codes initiative developed into a coherent strategy for the organization. I facilitated a team tasked with developing and steering a strategy to expand Advanced Placement U.S. Government & Politics and Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles courses to reach more high school students. Core to my challenge as a leader, however, was that this strategy used a very different value proposition for course expansion than had been previously used by the organization. Over the course of the residency, the work associated with the strategic project resulted in: 1) the development of Two Codes goals aligned to organizational goals, 2) a Two Codes Convening that brought together a diverse group of state and district leaders, and 3) plans for Two Codes pilot sites to test expansion strategies. Implications from this work include: 1) the College Board’s need to elevate and measure impact beyond typical methods, 2) the creation and support of innovative learning experiences that focus on developing students’ knowledge, skills, and agency, and 3) developing the organizational conditions and space for innovative ideas to thrive.