The value of teaching students how to create computer code

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were created to provide teachers and parents with information on the knowledge and skills students need to succeed in a global economy, according to the Standards' website. In a technologically driven society, there are those who believe learning how to create computer code should be a priority for today's youth.

In a recent post on the U.S. Department of Education's blog, Dan Brown, a teacher at The SEED Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., highlighted the importance of teaching coding to K-12 students. This type of instruction is especially important at a time when many individuals in and outside of the education sector are placing a focus on the value of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM subjects.

On the website Code.org, several well-known figures, including former President Bill Clinton, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and actor Ashton Kutcher, praise coding and provide reasons why it should be taught in school.

"To compete in a global market, our students need high-quality STEM education including computer science skills such as coding," said Arne Duncan, the U.S. secretary of education, as quoted by the website.