Programming, Education, and the American Dream

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Programming, Education, and the American Dream Liz Abinante • Software Engineer, New Relic • @feministy

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Overview “Learn to Code” Movement Education in America The American Dream Educating Programmers HELLO!

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Learn to Code Movement

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How did this all get started? LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT

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Four things: 1. Startup success stories 2. National attention 3. Availability of curriculum 4. Lower barrier to entry for new technologies LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT

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Startup success stories LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT

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STARTUP SUCCESS STORIES

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http:/ /www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2014/10/02/the-new-forbes-400-self-made-score-from-silver-spooners-to-boostrappers/ “This year, we gave each member of The Forbes 400 a score on a scale from 1 to 10 — a 1 indicating the fortune was completely inherited, while a 10 was for a Horatio Alger-esque journey. We also did the analysis for every 10 years going back to 1984. Looking at the numbers over time, the data lead us to an interesting insight: in 1984, less than half of people on The Forbes 400 were self-made; today, 69% of the 400 created their own fortunes.” STARTUP SUCCESS STORIES

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National attention LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT

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Availability of curriculum LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT

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New in-person courses Expensive development courses begin oﬀering short (9 week) or long (6-9 month) programs AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM

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AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM Free, and aﬀordable, interactive online curriculum Interactive videos or guided step-by-step code challenges

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AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM Enhanced online curriculum with personal mentorship Bringing a classroom setting to a wider audience

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Lower barrier to entry for new technologies LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY

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Cloud development environments Alleviating both cost and complication LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY

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Cheaper equipment YWeb Career Academy teaches students on $300 Chromebooks LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY

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“Simple” languages Easy-to-read and well-documented languages like Ruby and Python LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY

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Emphasis on user experience, responsive design, and mobile Approaching software based on your interests instead of your skills LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY

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“Anyone can learn to code!” LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT

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DISCLAIMER

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I was going to be a teacher. Of, like… high school. Kids.

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I went to a code bootcamp …instead?

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I learned my ﬁrst programming language in 2013.

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It turns out that learning to code is not the same as programming. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Writing code is nothing more than typing using a prescribed set of rules. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Becoming a good writer involves learning from others who have done it before you. So does being a good coder. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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When you say: “it’s easy” what you think you mean is: “it’s easy, I did it, and so can you.” ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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But what it sounds like to me is: “it's easy, I did it, and if you can't, that's your fault.” ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Phrases like this place the onus for learning on the student, attributing no responsibility to the individual or institution uttering the phrase. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Diﬀerent students do not excel or fail because of innate abilities. Student success is dependent on their educational foundation and opportunities. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Education in America

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Achievement, lectures, and learning EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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Then: our recent past “Leveling”: placing students at their current level instead of challenging them with more diﬃcult material. EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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‘Teachers used a technique called "leveled instruction." Palmer describes it as "an approach to literacy in which students spend the vast majority of their time in a text that is at their reading level. So if a student is in ﬁfth grade and they're reading at a third-grade level, they spend most of their day reading texts at a third-grade level.”’ http:/ /www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/11/11/356357971/common-core-reading-the-new-colossus EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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Now Common Core standards for reading and math, grades K-12 EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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“The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live.” http:/ /www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/ EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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“The trouble always starts when teachers are told to put innovative ideas into practice without much guidance on how to do it. In the hands of unprepared teachers, the reforms turn to nonsense, perplexing students more than helping them.” http:/ /www.nytimes.com/2014/07/27/magazine/why-do-americans-stink-at-math.html EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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Common core isn’t the solution It doesn’t address disparity in educational quality or drop out rates. It’s a band aid for a bad educational system. EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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Student demographics EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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Top 5 STEM high schools The top 5 STEM schools educate 5,711 students nationally. STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

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Top 5 STEM Schools White: 37% Minority: 63%

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Top 5 STEM Schools Asian American: 50% 2 Or More Races: 3% Hispanic: 7% Black: 2% Hawaiian/Paciﬁc Islander: 0.3% Native American: 0.2% White: 36%

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Not Poor: 99.4% Impoverished: 0.6% Top 5 STEM Schools

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37 kids

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But what about the worst schools? Turns out no one wants to talk about them. EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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Nationwide literacy rates http:/ /www.rif.org/us/about/literacy-facts-and-stats.htm EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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National Literacy: 4th Grade Above “Basic”: 66% At or below “Basic”: 33%

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National Literacy: 8th Grade Above “Basic”: 74% At or below “Basic”: 26%

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National Literacy: 8th Grade Scoring below “Basic” Percentage of Students 36% 40% 44% Black Hispanic Native American Impoverished

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The important question becomes: Why are we pushing to incorporate computer science into public schools if so many students don’t meet the standards for reading and math? EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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The important question becomes: Why are we letting industry trends dictate what we teach children? EDUCATION IN AMERICA

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The American Dream

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A history of the American Dream AMERICAN DREAM

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Coined at beginning of the Great Depression, “the dream [was] not only our most precious national possession but our unique contribution to the civilization of the world.” The Epic of America (1931), James Truslow Adams AMERICAN DREAM

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What do people think the American Dream is? AMERICAN DREAM

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“White picket fences… and owning your own house.” AMERICAN DREAM

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“Striking it rich, becoming a millionaire.” AMERICAN DREAM

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“Being an entrepreneur.” AMERICAN DREAM

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“Being your own boss.” AMERICAN DREAM

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“Nuclear families and not worrying about money.” AMERICAN DREAM

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“Coming to America with nothing and becoming rich because of your own will to succeed.” AMERICAN DREAM

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“Elon Musk.”

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“I’m not sure, but it seems like a lot of rich white men know what it is and they don’t want to share it.” AMERICAN DREAM

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The Epic of America (1931), James Truslow Adams “The dream is a vision of a better, deeper, richer life for every individual, regardless of the position in society which he or she may occupy by the accident of birth. It has been a dream of a chance to rise in the economic scale, but quite as much, or more than that, of a chance to develop our capacities to the full, unhampered by unjust restrictions of caste or custom.” AMERICAN DREAM

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The American Dream is about individual achievement and unlocking your potential, barriers be damned. AMERICAN DREAM

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http:/ /www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2014/10/02/the-new-forbes-400-self-made-score-from-silver-spooners-to-boostrappers/ “Over the past 30 years, the number of Forbes 400 members who forges their own path, using entrepreneurial capitalism as a means to attain a vast fortune, has increased dramatically. This tells us many things, but one should stand taller than the rest: the American Dream, it seems, is alive and well.” AMERICAN DREAM

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Educating Programmers

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Can anyone really learn to code? EDUCATING PROGRAMMERS

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Our industry loves the self-starter, the autodidactic learner. It’s in our roots, our very foundation. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Increasing barriers to entry Due to rising popularity, CS majors are implementing GPA requirements for admittance into the major ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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You can’t learn to code if you don’t have the right tools. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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To succeed as an industry, we have to stop expecting people to be able to teach themselves. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a person with a developmental disability? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a person without a home? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a person who doesn’t speak English & lives in America? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a single parent with no time for themselves? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Probably not. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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So what it really means is… ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Anyone with suﬃcient privilege, educational background, and access to tools can learn to code. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Just like the American Dream, the Learn to Code movement isn’t really for everyone. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE

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Bootcamps, startups, big $ EDUCATING PROGRAMMERS

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Silicon Valley leads U.S. as early startup funding hits 2-year high “Research ﬁrm CB Insights said there was more than $1.2 billion invested last month, up 56 percent from last October [2013].” http:/ /www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2014/11/17/silicon-valley-leads-u-s-as-early-startup-funding.html BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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“The average junior developer makes $73,000…” Dev Bootcamp http:/ /devbootcamp.com/2014/07/01/your-future-after-dev-bootcamp/ BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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“…98% job placement rate 90 days after graduating and a $110,000 average annual salary.” Hack Reactor http:/ /www.fastcompany.com/3023456/become-an-ios-developer-in-8-weeks-the-truth-about-hack-schools BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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“…graduates typically net starting salaries upwards of $70,000…” Flatiron School http:/ /www.businessinsider.com/ﬂatiron-school-coding-program-2013-4?op=1 BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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http:/ /code.org/stats

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It's the new packaging of the American Dream. BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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It’s there, ready for the taking: unleash your potential! BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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But what happens if you aren’t successful? BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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If you can't learn it, it's your fault. BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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The dream isn't broken, unobtainable, or privileged, it's for everyone, so you must be the problem. BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $

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What should we do about this? This is super depressing. EDUCATING PROGRAMMERS

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Small changes make a diﬀerence: 1. Set realistic expectations for job and skill seekers 2. Improve schools by supporting education-focused initiatives 3. Cut the hype 4. Don’t buy into the hype WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

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The American Dream should be a positive thing that any child can achieve, not just the privileged.

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Thanks! Liz Abinante New Relic • Software Engineer & Professional Enthusiast @feministy • me@liz.codes