Code.org

Code.org is a non-profit foundation that promotes computer programming education for K-12 students with the ultimate goal of including computer science and computer programming in the core US education curriculum. Code.org promotes diversity in computer science education and seeks to increase participation by young women and students from marginalized racial and ethnic groups. The organization is supported by several donors including Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, the Infosys Foundation, and Google. As of September 2022, more than 75 million students had enrolled in Code.org courses, and the organization had partnered with more than 180 school districts to add computer science (CS) to school curriculums. Beyond the US, Code.org courses are available in more than 67 languages across more than 180 countries.

In December 2020, Microsoft partnered with Code.org to teach the social and ethical implications of artificial intelligence (AI) to students from elementary to high school in a comprehensive and age-appropriate manner. Microsoft also donated USD 7.5 million to fund the initiative. The program launched on December 1, 2020, with a video series featuring talks by technologists on AI and machine learning. The partnership also plans to launch Code.org’s AI tutorial, AI for Oceans, globally in more than 25 languages; a classroom lesson plan for teaching the societal and ethical implications of AI; and a CS Principles curriculum plan on machine learning and bias. In 2021, Code.org intends to include AI and machine learning courses in its CS Discoveries computer science curriculum for students in grades 6 to 10 and integrate them into its app development platform for middle and high school students, App Lab. Under the partnership, Code.org will make third-party educational AI material available as part of its effort to make AI education accessible to all in the long term.

In February 2021, the organization received a donation of USD 15 million from Amazon Future Engineer, paid out over three years, to launch a new Advanced Placement (AP) computer science programming course. The course will contain the same concepts as the existing AP Computer Science A course plus cultural, real-world perspectives, interests, concerns, and experiences of Black, Latino, Native American (BLNA), and other under-represented students. Through this course, Code.org aims to increase access, participation, and achievement in computer science among a more diverse range of high school students and encourage careers in engineering. The new course will be available to all US schools in the 2022-2023 school year.