For the first year in Parker history, the school has introduced a mandatory coding requirement, starting with the Class of 2021 — rising freshmen — which will be fulfilled through the Introduction to Computer Programming class.  Taught by Upper School Computer Science Teacher Aaron Lee, the class introduces students to computer science and exposes them to programming as a way of thinking, according to Lee.

Meeting four times a week for one semester, students will learn the Python language, completing coding exercises and creating interactive games. Though the class will still be an elective open to all high schoolers, it is required that freshmen take it before they graduate.

Computer programming has been offered consistently as an elective at Parker for the past three years, but as technology has progressed and the need for coders has increased, the administration decided this year to make the science elective a requirement.

“One of the things we’re really passionate about is progressive education, and the fact that we’re not graduating Parker students without coding requirements is bad,” upper school science teacher and department co-chair Elizabeth Druger said.

Druger has asked the administration to make the class a requirement for a few years, but there had been other priorities such as scheduling and faculty hiring. Now, with a transition between Upper School heads in the upcoming year, the course change works well, according to Druger.

Parker is not ahead of this trend. All Chicago Public Schools have had coding as a requirement since 2013, though only 40% of schools in the country teach computer science according to code.org.

Coding skills are applicable not only to future jobs, but in other classes, according to Lee. “My dream would be that students can take this course then they can apply it across a range of other courses here in the school,” Lee said. “We are hoping to integrate coding into our other courses so that when you’re taking a science course you might have a unit where you’re using some programming.”

Upper School Math Teacher and Department Co-chair Sven Carlsson recognizes the value of coding in the classroom. “I think coding can help put a concrete meaning behind a lot of the abstract concepts we do,” Carlsson said. “When students are allowed to code, they can do more complex and creative things because it amplifies the power of your brain. Coding will free us up to do deeper dives into material.”

Students as well are looking forward to the requirement. “I think It’s a really good idea,” 8th grader Leila Sheridan and incoming freshman said. “It’s a skill that I think everyone should have.”

As the coding program develops, the science department will look towards creating a separate computer science department, hiring new coding teachers, and offering a wider range of classes, according to Druger.

“The real question is the demand from students as to what they want to see for the curriculum,” Lee said. “We are addressing the need, and that’s the most important thing.  I don’t think anyone would have foreseen computer science being a requirement 15 years ago. But you have to operate in this global economy, and we are trying to produce students who are ready to meet those challenges.”