Why teaching kids to code is no longer enough - and what NYC schools should do instead

A free daily newsletter promotes essential news about NYC public schools. A decade after a promise of meaningful computer science access, Computer Science for All (CS4All) increased student enrollment in computer science classes from about 5.5% in 2016 to about 20% in 2024. The initiative also increased participation among underrepresented students. Despite these gains, only about one-fifth of citywide schools meet CS4All goals for girls, Latinos, and Black students. CS4All still requires further work, and CS4All 2.0 is proposed to rethink computer science education in the age of artificial intelligence. The focus shifts toward computational thinking, critical problem-solving, and guidance on when and how to use AI tools, supported by evidence-based instruction.

"The share of students enrolled in computer science classes has quadrupled from roughly 5.5%, or 54,000, in 2016, to 20%, or more than 193,000, in 2024. And CS4All made gains in growing the number of underrepresented students. Still, just 1 in 5 schools citywide are meeting CS4All's goals for girls, Latinos, and Black students, according to a data brief released Tuesday from the Center for an Urban Future, a New York City-based think tank."

"Though the initiative "still has unfinished business," the timing is also ripe for CS4All 2.0, said Eli Dvorkin, the center's editorial and policy director, who believes that the city's education system needs to rethink its approach to computer science in the age of artificial intelligence."

""Just because entry-level coding work is in serious decline, it doesn't mean that demand for computational thinking is going away," Dvorkin said. Instead, "every teacher should be able to prepare young people to think critically and solve problems and use judgement on whether and when to use AI tools and how they work and why.""

"He acknowledged the "understandable concerns" many parents have about how much screen time their children are spending in school. But he believes that "evidence-based" computer science education is an antidote to passive screen time. "I think there's a very real chance that Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani's legacy will be shaped in part by how our public school system adapts to the AI era," Dvorkin said, "and"

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