WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., today reintroduced the Teacher Education for Computer Science (Teach CS) Act, bipartisan legislation that would support efforts to train more computer science teachers.

“Addressing America’s shortage of computer science graduates starts with investing in teachers,” Wicker said. “This legislation would make targeted changes to place more qualified computer science instructors in our schools, which would better equip our students to pursue careers in STEM.”

“As a former computer programmer, I understand firsthand the value of a STEM education,” Rosen said. “That’s why I’ve made it a priority in Congress to increase access to STEM education to students. But we can’t adequately educate our students without first properly training our educators. I’m re-introducing this bipartisan legislation to provide educators with the professional development they need to teach our students computer science knowledge and skills. I will continue working in Congress to provide Nevada’s educators and students with the resources they need to succeed.”

Specifically, the bipartisan Teach CS Act would amend the Higher Education Act (HEA) to include computer science education eligibility for multiple teacher preparation grants and graduate fellowships. It also would authorize a new program for competitive grants for eligible institutions of higher education to establish centers of excellence in teacher education programs for computer science.

Wicker and Rosen were joined by U.S. Senators Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., to reintroduce the legislation, which was first introduced in December 2019. Representative Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., plans to introduce companion bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Teach CS Act is endorsed by Code.org, Microsoft, CSforAll, Girls Who Code, National Education Association (NEA), Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), STEM Ed Coalition, National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), and Information Technology Industry Council (ITI).