Crisis in computer science education at the precollege level

Abstract

This paper attempts to focus attention on the problem of providing meaningful and effective educational programs for precollege teachers. Computer science departments caught in their own staffing problems have not given much attention to precollege teacher training in computer science. Elementary and secondary schools are experiencing very little turnover in staff. Even when these schools have an open position, individuals entering the teaching field have little or no training in computer science. Yet the need for precollege teachers with a computer science background exists and is growing larger each year. This paper addresses this crisis in computer science education at the precollege level and proposes an approach which can be implemented easily and effectively.