Should computer IT be required to graduate? These CEOs say yes.

Diving brief:

• More than 250 CEOs called on the heads of state to adopt a IT diploma requirement For all high school students in an open letter published Monday by non -profit CS for all. Such a requirement is necessary, the CEOs wrote, to better prepare graduates for an increasing workforce linked to artificial intelligence.
• The requirements of the state level program for the subject have slowly gained ground in the past eight years, Virginia-Western recently becoming the 12th State to promulgate computer grades with the signing of the signing of HB 2411 At the end of April.
• Obligning secondary school students to take a single computer lesson could help fill the gaps in wages, “unlock $ 660 billion in economic potential each year” and form the future labor in essential skills, according to the letter signed by CEOs ranging from Satya Nadella from Microsoft to David Coleman from College Board.

Diving insight:

The open letter was published less than two weeks after President Donald Trump signed a decree Promote AI in K-12 schools Thanks to the creation of a working group on education for education of the White House and other initiatives.

Monday's letter said that the United States is “delaying” with regard to global competition, because countries like Brazil, China and South Korea have already forced requirements for each student to strengthen on computer science or AI.

“In the AI ​​era, we need to prepare our children in the future – to be AI creators, not just consumers,” said the letter. “A basic IT and AI base is crucial to help each student prosper in a world -oriented world. Without that, he may be late. ”

There are enormous risks for students who do not know how to critically analyze how and when to use AI tools, said Jake Baskin, Executive Director of Computer Science Teachers Association and Cosignation of the letter. It is also crucial that the next generation is formed to continue to develop new technologies and AI tools.

Baskin said he hoped that in the future, everyone, whatever their profession, would have a strong fundamental understanding that AI tools are created by humans and not by “magic” and that they can make mistakes that can come with ethical implications when they are introduced.

“It would be a bad service for students to teach them to use these tools without building this fundamental context,” said Baskin.

But the obstacles to the implementation of computer diploma requirements persist, especially since they involve finding and hiring enough teachers to meet the demand for kindergarten in the 12th year for the subject, said Katy Knight, president and executive director of the Siegel family.

Part of the work of the endowment includes the financing of practical coaching with teachers who have no computer information to instruct the subject, said Knight.

The executive decree of Trump AI calls for the American Secretary for Education Linda McMahon to prioritize AI teacher training initiatives using discretionary grant programs under the law on elementary and secondary education and title II of the Higher Education Act. The details of what this training will be like, however, are missing, said Knight.

“There is no IA without computer science,” said Knight, adding that IT must be included when implementing this order.

About 6.4% of secondary school students According to a computer computer report, according to a October 2025 report by the Computer Science Teachers Association, which wants to see this figure jump to 25% to guarantee that all secondary students are enrolled in the matter during their secondary studies.

The disparities in computer science participation remain an obstacle, with only 32.5% of young women – against 67.5% of young men – according to secondary levels in the matter, according to the Computer Science Teachers Association. Latin students were also the most under-represented group, because only 20% take computer courses compared to the 29% of the Latical students registered in schools, according to the report.