[blisterpeanuts]

A computer programming class in K-12, or at least 9-12 high school curriculum, should be thought of as an introduction and not an end unto itself, i.e. this is a little taste of computer programming to whet kids' appetites and possibly lure in some who otherwise would never be exposed to the topic.

Similarly, art and music, science and mathematics. Everyone should get some of this, though not all of us will become artists or musicians or scientists or mathematicians.

I think it's generally a good idea, though I wish they'd leave off the "of color" qualifier; there are plenty of white children from rural areas or working class communities who could also benefit from introductory coding.

[armitron]

I agree with this, but that's not the gist of the linked article.

In fact, it's quite obvious that the way it's being presented (by president Obama among others) is exactly the opposite. They also mention the MONEY angle FFS both in terms of government spending but also expected ROI in terms of future careers !!!

On the other hand, not a word has been written on the points I brought up in my previous comment (checks and balances, inherent difficulty of the domain, requirements that have nothing to do with training).