The Importance of a Well-Supported Computer Science Teacher
When schools ask me what students need to learn computer science, my answer starts with people. The single most important resource is a well-prepared, well-supported computer science teacher. Devices, connectivity and software matter — students need reliable access to computers and high-quality internet at school and at home — but great teaching is what transforms access into learning.
AI will play a growing role in teaching and learning, but we should be cautious about locking into specific products before the evidence is clear. Invest first in teacher learning communities, professional development and curriculum coherence. Districts that cultivate a strong community of computer science teachers will be ready for any new software or curriculum they want to add.
A Practical Roadmap for K–12 Districts
To help districts, teachers and curriculum leaders take the next step, CSTA convened experts across education and industry to publish “AI Learning Priorities for All K–12 Students.”* It’s a concise set of learning priorities that every student should experience. We boil it down to four connected outcomes:
- Understand how AI works and where it fits. Students should grasp core ideas — data, representation, basic model behavior — and recognize appropriate contexts for AI use.
- Use and critically evaluate AI systems. That includes benefits, limitations and societal impacts, with an explicit focus on ethics, bias, privacy and accountability.
- Create with AI, responsibly. Students shouldn’t just consume outputs; they should build projects that incorporate AI components while practicing safe, transparent and testable design.
- Develop the habits of innovation and persistence. Problem-framing, iteration, debugging and reflection remain the heart of computing and of effective AI use.
These priorities are intentionally technology-agnostic. They will be incorporated into the revised 2026 CSTA K–12 Computer Science Standards to give schools a roadmap that will remain relevant even as AI tools change.
CSTA exists to make this work possible in real classrooms. We support the world’s largest community of computer science teachers with professional learning, implementation guidance, standards alignment and local chapters to provide peer support. The CSTA K–12 Computer Science Standards give districts a practical, shared language for curriculum selection and program design, and our professional development and resources help teachers translate that guidance into daily practice.
There is no AI literacy without computer science education. If we want students to shape a world transformed by AI, we must invest in the people who teach them, the programs that welcome them and the standards that focus on foundational learning outcomes to prepare students for the long term.
