Computer Science Instruction and Academic Outcomes in Other Subjects

Participation in computer science (CS) education is growing across the K-12 spectrum. This enthusiasm for CS is driven, in part, by the belief that through CS instruction, students will learn computational thinking (CT) skills, which can also be applied to domains outside CS. We add to this literature by examining whether or not there is a relationship between receiving CS instruction and students' academic performance in non-CS subject areas. Using a fixed-effects regression methodology with course-taking records from New York City, we examine the association between CS instruction and course grades for high school students. We find small positive associations between CS instruction and end-of-year grades in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies.