Computer Science, School Finance and Summer Reading

In this issue: Prevalence of Tech Jobs in MA Requires K-12 Adjustments | School Finance Topic of Joint Committee on Education Hearing | Summer Reading

Congratulations to the Boston Public Schools and Boston Afterschool and Beyond for being selected to receive a four-year grant that will enable them to provide social and emotional learning services to about 15,000 students in kindergarten through fifth grade.  We are encouraged by the growing interest in SEL and hope that the Boston experience will provide lessons learned and lead to replication of effective models around the state.

Prevalence of Tech Jobs in MA Requires K-12 Adjustments

A new report finds that nearly one in four jobs (23%) in Massachusetts involves computer science skills – significantly higher than the national average of less than 18%.   These jobs are not limited to the information technology sector, according to Burning Glass Technologies, a job analytics firm that conducted the study.   The report identifies three categories of technology jobs:

• Computer Science and Management: Roles such as software developers and IT managers that are focused on development of programming on a daily basis;
• Information Technology: Roles supporting and building technology systems within offices, such as Computer Support Specialists; and,
• IT-adjacent: Roles that use coding skills as part of the job, but not as the key competency, such as Management Analysts and Graphic Designers.

The data raises important questions about how our schools need to adapt to prepare students to take advantage of these opportunities.  A key conclusion drawn from the report data by Achieve, the organization that commissioned the study, is “to meet the demands of an increasingly technological economy, the development of computer science knowledge and skills must begin in K-12 education.”

Another report, State of the States Landscape Report: State-level Policies Supporting Equitable K-12 Computer Science Education notes that computer science knowledge and skills are foundational for an educated community and essential for economic growth.

There are several ways in which Massachusetts can ensure students have access to necessary coursework.  The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has stated its intent to “accelerate [its] focus on computer science through…the possible inclusion of computer science in MassCore” the state’s recommended (yet voluntary) course of study that is intended to ensure students are ready for college.

MBAE  has urged the state to include computer science standards as one of the options for meeting science graduation requirements, and more recently emphasized the growing importance of computer science.   Our Future Ready Massachusetts initiative has convened a Digital Equity Advisory Council to advise us and provide evidence why every child needs access to the computational concepts and skills essential for today’s workforce.

School Finance Topic of Joint Committee on Education Hearing

This week, MBAE Executive Director Linda Noonan and Joe Esposito, a member of the MBAE Board of Directors who represented employers on the Foundation Budget Review Commission, testified at a State House hearing on legislation that would update the state’s school funding formula and could substantially increase state education funding.

MBAE agrees that legislative action is urgently needed to address the funding challenges that every school district in the state is citing as an impediment to their progress.  However, we can only support increased K-12 education funding if it is coupled with reforms that ensure the needs of our students are met and persistent racial and socio-economic achievement gaps and a widening college and workforce readiness gap are closed.

Read our press statement here.

Read Linda Noonan’s testimony here.

Read Joe Esposito’s testimony here.

Summer Reading

As we reach the mid-point of summer vacation, several interesting reports have crossed our desk that you might want to add to your summer reading list.

Good Jobs that Pay Without a BA, a new report from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, finds that there are currently 30 million good jobs in the U.S. that pay well without a Bachelor’s degree.  These jobs, which have a median salary of $55,000, continue to grow but they are changing from traditional blue-collar industries to skilled-services industries such as financial services and health services.  The Georgetown Center and JPMorgan Chase partnered on this research and are collaborating to create an interactive online database that documents the concentration of these jobs, nationally, at the state level, by industry and occupation, and by wage.  The website, GoodJobsData.org, will launch in the fall.

Time to Act 2017: Put Data in the Hands of the People is a summary of state efforts to fully realize the power of education data to support all students.  Issued by the Data Quality Campaign, it highlights four policy priorities to help people ask the right questions for making important decisions.  We agree with DQC’s goal that “data must be transformed from a tool of compliance to one that empowers people and fuels continuous improvement.”

Unrealized Impact: The Case for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a study of staff experience, workplace practices, and demographics across the education sector issued by the New Schools Venture Fund.   Links to the study, presentation and videos provide detailed findings that may not be surprising but offer an instructive guide to improving the sector’s ability to attract and retain diverse talent; and to understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential ingredients to achieve educational equity and excellence for all students.

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Employers play a pivotal role in bringing about needed change in our public education system.  Please join MBAE  in our effort to ensure every student graduates high school prepared for success in college, career and citizenship.