Shaping the future of K-​12 Computer Science Education for all Illinois students. 

Co-hosted by the University of Illinois, CS4IL, and partnering sponsors, the inaugural #ILCSEdSummit2019 engaged K-12 educators, administrators, policymakers, industry professionals, non-profits, and legislators in a day of collaboration, presentations, panel discussions, and working groups, with the shared goal of making CS for All a reality in Illinois.

Why Computer Science Education?

Computer Science Education is of critical importance to Illinois and beyond.  Computing jobs span the full job market and represent the number one source of new wages in the U.S. economy.  A 2017 Illinois Science and Technology Coalition Report identified Illinois as the second-highest producer of Computer Science college graduates nationally.

Illinois has exceptional universities with leading programs in computer science and engineering, but, we have considerable room for growth as a state to provide students progressing through our K-12 schools the same exceptional experiences in studying Computer Science.  Early access to computer science courses has been shown to increase enrollment for girls and minorities in STEM courses in higher education, as well as increase the number of whom choose careers in STEM fields. Equity in access to computer science ensures that all students have the foundational knowledge necessary for them to productively participate in today's world and make informed decisions about their lives.

Data collected and published monthly by the Conference Board, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Center for Education Statistics identified over 20,000 currently-unfilled computing jobs in Illinois. The average annual salary for a professional in computing is around $90,000 USD.  Were Illinois employers able to fill each of these jobs, this would amount to $1.8 billion USD of additional opportunities in terms of annual salary. Further, if employers were able to hire employees from Illinois to fill these job openings, we would experience an incalculable return on our state's investment into its future fiscal health. Access to a world-class K-12 Computer Science Education has grown to become foundational in affording all children the best opportunity to reach their fullest potential as meaningful contributors to our society, economy, and culture.

The Summit was planned to join together a community of impassioned stakeholders in support of statewide expansion of world-class K-12 Computer Science Education. 

What do I have to gain in attending?

This Summit was planned to empower participants to:
  1. Serve meaningfully alongside like-minded peers in a one-day Summit experience toward catalyzing new opportunities for every IL K-12 student.
  2. Gain a deeper individual and collective appreciation of the significance of computer science as a powerful economic catalyst throughout Illinois, and as a fundamental social justice issue in our need to take action in providing truly equitable statewide access to a world-class computer science education for every Illinois student.
  3. Receive an overview of the policy and legislative landscape within Illinois defined by our state's current level of access to K-12 Computer Science Education from local, regional, statewide, and national perspectives.
  4. Contribute to developing an "Illinois Statewide Manifesto for Achieving a World-Class K-12 Computer Science Education for Every Student" This Manifesto will be founded upon, among other documents and information, the Executive Summary Recommendations put forth by the 2018 Illinois State Board of Education Computer Science Education Task Force Report to the General Assembly, released on 1 July 2018. 
  5. Identify and reach out to key Illinois-based stakeholder representatives from industry, K-12 education, post-secondary education, curriculum development, professional development, the Illinois State Board of Education, professional organizations, policymakers, state and federal legislators, parents/guardians, and other educational advocacy groups. 
  6. Crowdsource specific potential opportunities for financial and volunteer support toward our work among the stakeholder groups identified above who share our passion for this cause.  
  7. Leave the Summit energized with concrete strategies and opportunities to continue the day's work, and motivated to help us continue to grow our outreach to every corner of the state.