Computer science lessons starting as early as kindergarten

Moving her finger over the laptop trackpad, 6-year-old Lauren Meek drags and drops a block of code to build a set of instructions.

Backed by technology leaders, nonprofits and companies, schools in New York, San Francisco and other cities have committed to offer computer science to students in all grade levels.

“In the 21st century, computer science is just as foundational as biology, chemistry,” said Hadi Partovi, founder and CEO of Code.org, a Seattle-based national nonprofit that works to expand access to computer science and increase participation by women and minorities.

Bringing computer science into the schools ensures that everyone has an opportunity to become digitally literate, said Yasmin Kafai, a professor of learning sciences at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

By 2020, 4.6 million of 9.2 million science, technology, engineering and math jobs will be in computing, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jim Taylor, author of “Raising Generation Tech,” says there’s no evidence at this point that coding or computational learning works or is even needed.

Kids don’t need to learn how to use digital technology at such a young age either, he added.