NEWS
SAT returns as mandatory at several colleges. A2
LIFESTYLE
Students pursue activism via boycotting. B1
SCI/TECH
Hidden disabilities affect students. C4
PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL 50 EMBARCADERO RD. PALO ALTO, CA 94301
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAI D PALO ALTO PERMIT #44
The Campanile Vol. CVI, No. 6
Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Computer science as potential graduation requirement
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I
f enacted, Assembly Bill 2097, proposed by Democratic Assembly member Marc Berman, will require all California school districts and charter schools to offer a computer science class by the 2026-2027 school year, making the class a graduation requirement by the 2030-2031 school year. Twenty-seven other states currently require high schools to offer some kind of computer science course, and five of those states — Arkansas, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina and Tennessee — require students to complete a computer science class to graduate. In California, 45% of high schools offer computer science as a course, which is behind 40 other states. With California and the Bay Area at the forefront of innovation through technology, proponents of the bill argue that the next generation of students must be equipped with the skills needed to thrive in these career pathways. Those planning to work in the Bay Area should be educated on at least the basics of computer science. Computer Science teacher and CTE Instructional Lead Christopher Bell said since technology has drastically advanced in recent years, computer science knowledge will be required in many career fields. “Since we have an outburst of AI that's going to be going into every realm and CS has been integrated into every field that you work in,” Bell said. “You should know a little bit about (computer science) so you can interact with it well and have discussions with other people about it.” AP Computer Science and AVID teacher Roxanne Lanzot said even if a student is not interested in or dislikes computer science, learning the foundations is important to be a technologically informed citizen. “The exposure to CS allows people to make informed decisions that could really impact your life, your financial future, your ability to get a good job (and) your ability to avoid all kinds of cybersecurity risks and attacks,” Lanzot said.
Moreover, Berman said AB 2097 can help close the existing gender and diversity gaps, ensuring all students in California have easier access to computer science classes at their schools. In doing so, proponents of the bill argue students can be better prepared to seek a wider array of jobs in different pathways after high school. Even in Silicon Valley, Lanzot said there is still progress to be made to ensure everyone has equitable access to computer science literacy. She said even though Palo Alto boasts many professionals involved in tech, there are still many who haven't been exposed to computer science, thus lowering chances of entering the technological workforce. “The children of engineers get the exposure to engineering and then have the opportunity to become engineers themselves,” Lanzot said. “But there are many people who live in our community who aren't engineers, and their children deserve the opportunity given the wealth of knowledge and job opportunities here.” But senior Spencer Wu-Chin said students are already concerned with having less elective spots in their schedule, so they shouldn’t be forced into taking computer science, especially if they do not want to go into a career path that requires a heavy amount of computer science.
“The problem is that we have so many graduation requirements and it makes things very limiting,” Wu-Chin said. “The problem with making a whole new class (mandatory) is that it makes it harder for students to pursue things that they're interested in or pursue their own passions.” Bell said if the bill passes, teachers may push the initiative to create new computer science courses or change the prerequisites of the current CS classes offered at Paly. “This is something district teachers have been talking about for a long time, with computer science being such a fast-moving field and with the need for all students to have some sort of understanding of how code and technology works,” Bell said. “Right now, Paly’s requirements are actually above the UC requirements for graduation, but the issue is we've never wanted to add a graduation requirement without removing something in exchange.” Bell said the limited number of qualified teachers in California, as well as America as a whole, will pose a problem for all school districts if the bill is passed. “Across the state, we already have a shortage of teachers, and then you need to have teachers that are credentialed in CTE or have some supplemental credentials that they can get for our district,” Bell said. “However, we have a lot of math teachers throughout the district that have also done some CS work, like science teachers or other teachers that have done some of that preliminary work as well.” However, Lanzot said educating students in CS should be a priority because it will help prepare them for a workforce that is embracing technological advancements. “As tech and AI rapidly change and evolve, we are going to have to teach different content,” Lanzot said. “It's important to decide if you want to be a controlling stakeholder in that change or just a member of the audience.” Cherianne Yoon Staff Writer
ART
EL ACH BY R
LEE
State approves grant funding for visual, performing arts education programs
Holden Lee
Lifestyle, Sci/Tech Editor The California Department of Education is distributing $1 billion to Visual and Performing Arts programs across the state. The funding aims to increase arts education in low-income areas and establish more equitable state-wide programs for students with little exposure to the arts. Voters approved the arts funding in Proposition 28 by 64.4%, the largest margin of success for an education initiative in California’s history. The grant, which comes from the state’s General Fund — a pool of money for revenues that are not designated for a specific purpose — is divided. 70% of it will go to schools based on their share of student enrollment statewide, while the other 30% will go to schools based on their number of low-income students. Under this division, PAUSD is receiving $1,239,309 in preliminary funding for arts and music in schools from Proposition 28, which has yet to be distributed among the schools. However, districts with more than 500 students must allocate 80% of funding for staff and 20% for materials. Additionally, funds must supplement, not replace, current programs. In response to The Campanile’s public records request, PAUSD refused to disclose the preliminary staffing and school site expenditure plans for the use of Proposition 28 funding during the 2024-25 school year, citing that no supply or materials funds have been spent
because the CDE has not yet released the reporting guidelines. Theatre teacher Sarah Thermond said the grant enables the theatre program to experiment with different crafts by bringing in professionals to teach and guide. “We could use that funding to bring in someone with an expertise on a subject to help support us on a show,” Thermond said. “For example, if we were working on a production with content that we wanted to bring an expert in or we're dabbling with adding projections to some of our shows, they could come in and do that.” Junior Polina van Hulsen, who is taking AP Art Studio and Design, said she would like to see digital art incorporated into general art classes. “Right now we have access to digital iPads, but having more focus on the digital art side and Photoshop courses incorporated into one of the main pathways could be interesting as well,” van Hulsen said. In an email response to The Campanile, Amanda Bark, the Manager of Policy & Compliance at the PAUSD District Office, said middle school music and drama teachers who hold two outside of schools productions/performances per semester will receive a stipend of $2,095 per year out of Proposition 28 funds during the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, PAUSD VAPA Director Kelly Martin wrote in an email reply to The Campanile that PAUSD identified specific needs within the district’s arts programs for the 2023-24 school year. Previous grants were spent on staffing in areas based on student elective
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choices in middle and high schools if there was an opportunity to add a new section without supplanting current courses. In K-5 schools, additional Spectra Art and music classes were added. Thermond also said the money could be used to hire experts who have experience in multicultural theatre to broaden students’ perspectives of art. “If I wanted to teach students about a form of theatre from a country that isn't my country of origin and that I didn't study in college, I could use that money to find someone who can bring that expertise,” Thermond said. “The money to hire outside people has sometimes felt like one of the hurdles in the way of doing that work, so I'm excited that now there is a source of funding that seems (to be) made for bringing in those voices and experts.” Thermond said the additional funding will primarily benefit lower-income districts, as barely one in five California high schools do not have a full time arts or music teacher, according to an EdSource interview with Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner. “For some schools, it's really going to be the difference in whether or not after-school programs happen,” Thermond said. “That's what has gotten theatre teachers really excited about (Proposition 28), because we all want every kid to have access to (theatre).” Van Hulsen said funding the arts programs provides students with the chance to develop a creative outlet, which is limited in other classes. “For people that are creative-minded like me, (arts programs) are a really good creative outlet for selfexpression,” van Hulsen said. “It's super important to have that ability to express yourself. I feel like most of the time, we're so busy with other classwork to have the opportunity to still be in the school environment and express ourselves creatively.”
KATE XIA/THE CAMPANILE
Michael Najar directs Paly Choir's production of the Madrigals. “We all want every kid to have access to (theatre),” theatre teacher Sarah Thermond said.
Thermond said the funding is a sign of support for the arts, regardless of its allocation within the district. “There is also just that nice vote of confidence that the voters of the state want to see more arts in schools,” Thermond said. “When you're an elective teacher, you often feel like you're fighting to hold on to your program to prove that it's relevant and prove that it's useful. A new source of funding like this coming in to give some extra lifeblood (gives) that feeling that people in California want their public schools to have arts programs.”