Programming, Education, and the American Dream

Programming, Education, and the American Dream by Liz
Published November 18, 2014 in Programming

The learn to code movement has popularized the idea that coding is a skill everyone can learn. It's the American dream: learn the desirable skill and you'll succeed financially. I'll discuss the history of the American Dream, how new programming education endeavors have repackaged it, and how the lack of awareness and analysis of this privileged rhetoric is damaging our culture and workforce.

Transcript

1. Programming, Education, and the American Dream Liz Abinante • Software Engineer, New Relic • @feministy
2. Overview “Learn to Code” Movement Education in America The American Dream Educating Programmers HELLO!
3. Learn to Code Movement
4. How did this all get started? LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT
5. 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
6. Startup success stories LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT
7. STARTUP SUCCESS STORIES
8. 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
9. National attention LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT
10. Availability of curriculum LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT
11. New in-person courses Expensive development courses begin offering short (9 week) or long (6-9 month) programs AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM
12. AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM Free, and affordable, interactive online curriculum Interactive videos or guided step-by-step code challenges
13. AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM Enhanced online curriculum with personal mentorship Bringing a classroom setting to a wider audience
14. Lower barrier to entry for new technologies LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY
15. Cloud development environments Alleviating both cost and complication LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY
16. Cheaper equipment YWeb Career Academy teaches students on $300 Chromebooks LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY
17. “Simple” languages Easy-to-read and well-documented languages like Ruby and Python LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY
18. Emphasis on user experience, responsive design, and mobile Approaching software based on your interests instead of your skills LOWER BARRIER TO ENTRY
19. “Anyone can learn to code!” LEARN TO CODE MOVEMENT
20. DISCLAIMER
21. I was going to be a teacher. Of, like… high school. Kids.
22. I went to a code bootcamp …instead?
23. I learned my first programming language in 2013.
24. It turns out that learning to code is not the same as programming. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
25. Writing code is nothing more than typing using a prescribed set of rules. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
26. 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
27. 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
28. 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
29. 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
30. 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
31. Education in America
32. Achievement, lectures, and learning EDUCATION IN AMERICA
33. Then: our recent past “Leveling”: placing students at their current level instead of challenging them with more difficult material. EDUCATION IN AMERICA
34. ‘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
35. Now Common Core standards for reading and math, grades K-12 EDUCATION IN AMERICA
36. “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
37. “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
38. 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
39. Student demographics EDUCATION IN AMERICA
40. Top 5 STEM high schools The top 5 STEM schools educate 5,711 students nationally. STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
41. Top 5 STEM Schools White: 37% Minority: 63%
42. 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%
43. Not Poor: 99.4% Impoverished: 0.6% Top 5 STEM Schools
44. 37 kids
45. But what about the worst schools? Turns out no one wants to talk about them. EDUCATION IN AMERICA
46. Nationwide literacy rates http:/ /www.rif.org/us/about/literacy-facts-and-stats.htm EDUCATION IN AMERICA
47. National Literacy: 4th Grade Above “Basic”: 66% At or below “Basic”: 33%
48. National Literacy: 8th Grade Above “Basic”: 74% At or below “Basic”: 26%
49. National Literacy: 8th Grade Scoring below “Basic” Percentage of Students 36% 40% 44% Black Hispanic Native American Impoverished
50. 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
51. The important question becomes: Why are we letting industry trends dictate what we teach children? EDUCATION IN AMERICA
52. The American Dream
53. A history of the American Dream AMERICAN DREAM
54. 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
55. What do people think the American Dream is? AMERICAN DREAM
56. “White picket fences… and owning your own house.” AMERICAN DREAM
57. “Striking it rich, becoming a millionaire.” AMERICAN DREAM
58. “Being an entrepreneur.” AMERICAN DREAM
59. “Being your own boss.” AMERICAN DREAM
60. “Nuclear families and not worrying about money.” AMERICAN DREAM
61. “Coming to America with nothing and becoming rich because of your own will to succeed.” AMERICAN DREAM
62. “Elon Musk.”
63. “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
64. 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
65. The American Dream is about individual achievement and unlocking your potential, barriers be damned. AMERICAN DREAM
66. 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
67. Educating Programmers
68. Can anyone really learn to code? EDUCATING PROGRAMMERS
69. Our industry loves the self-starter, the autodidactic learner. It’s in our roots, our very foundation. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
70. Increasing barriers to entry Due to rising popularity, CS majors are implementing GPA requirements for admittance into the major ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
71. You can’t learn to code if you don’t have the right tools. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
72. To succeed as an industry, we have to stop expecting people to be able to teach themselves. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
73. Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
74. Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a person with a developmental disability? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
75. Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a person without a home? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
76. Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a person who doesn’t speak English & lives in America? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
77. Can you say “anyone can learn to code” to… a single parent with no time for themselves? ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
78. Probably not. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
79. So what it really means is… ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
80. Anyone with sufficient privilege, educational background, and access to tools can learn to code. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
81. Just like the American Dream, the Learn to Code movement isn’t really for everyone. ANYONE CAN LEARN TO CODE
82. Bootcamps, startups, big $ EDUCATING PROGRAMMERS
83. 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 $
84. “The average junior developer makes $73,000…” Dev Bootcamp http:/ /devbootcamp.com/2014/07/01/your-future-after-dev-bootcamp/ BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $
85. “…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 $
86. “…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 $
87. http:/ /code.org/stats
93. It's the new packaging of the American Dream. BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $
94. It’s there, ready for the taking: unleash your potential! BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $
95. But what happens if you aren’t successful? BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $
96. If you can't learn it, it's your fault. BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $
97. The dream isn't broken, unobtainable, or privileged, it's for everyone, so you must be the problem. BOOTCAMPS, STARTUPS, BIG $
98. What should we do about this? This is super depressing. EDUCATING PROGRAMMERS
99. 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?
100. The American Dream should be a positive thing that any child can achieve, not just the privileged.
101. Thanks! Liz Abinante New Relic • Software Engineer & Professional Enthusiast @feministy • me@liz.codes