WHEREAS, every corner of the Commonwealth is connected through the power of computer science, one of Virginia’s highest growth industry sectors and a backbone of Virginia’s economy; and

WHEREAS, to build a workforce equipped to support our Commonwealth, we must prepare citizens for the needs of an increasingly diverse business climate by providing them the skills and credentials that are needed in a high demand technology business; and

WHEREAS, Virginia boasts an employment concentration in computer science fields that is more than double the national average, the Commonwealth sees over twice as many online job postings for computer science-related positions compared to the nation, and growth for these computer-science related jobs is projected to exceed 10% over the next five years; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is proud of its legacy as the first state in the nation to adopt computer science, computational thinking, and coding as essential literacies for all students, and the only state to have artificial intelligence guidance through higher education; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is home to five lab schools focused on computer science specifically and two lab schools that address information technology career pathways, which work to equip students to meet regional high-demand skills; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education has supported the integration of computer science into the K-8 core disciplines and expanded computer science pathways for secondary students, underscoring the inherent significance of computer science education, including the 2024 adoption of Virginia’s Computer Science Standards for students to develop a foundation of computer science knowledge beginning in the earliest grades; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education has integrated computer science into the educational technology plan, further emphasizing the importance of computer science education; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia recognizes the regional partnerships, expanded work-based learning, and post-secondary and secondary partnerships to expand professional development, high-quality instructional resources, and project-based learning opportunities for educators and students across the Commonwealth through the Advancing Computer Science Education grant; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia has developed Lab Schools to harness partnerships with industry, higher education, and K-12 with some models aimed at increasing exposure and experience in applied computer science outside of school walls; and

WHEREAS, National Computer Science Education Week began in 2009 as an annual call to action to inspire K-12 students to learn computer science, promote computer science education, and celebrate the contributors to the field; and

WHEREAS, this year, Virginia Computer Science Education Week will culminate with CodeVA hosting an Educator Computer Science Digital Summit and Student Spotlight Campaign, encouraging educators to engage in professional learning and integrate computer science activities into their classrooms; and

WHEREAS, Computer Science Education Week officially starts the nomination window for the 2024-2025 Computer Science Educator of the Year (CSEOY) award, where parents, students, and educators can nominate educators across the Commonwealth for their contribution and commitment to computer science education; and 

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia is committed to computer science education by providing all Virginia students meaningful access to opportunities in computer science; and, students, classrooms, and schools are encouraged to celebrate Computer Science Education Week by coming together to explore career pathways in computer science-related fields;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize December 9-15, as COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.