from Hacker News

IBM opening new Computer Science focused High School in NYC

by flipp on 10/3/10, 9:05 PM with 13 comments

  • by _delirium on 10/4/10, 12:21 AM

    The fast-tracking angle is interesting: this is essentially high school plus community college rolled into one, but with an apparent hope that it'll be closer to a 4-year-college degree in quality due to greater preparation in the high-school years and coordination between the high-school and college curricula (it's one six-year curriculum, not a 4-year HS followed by 2-year college). Plus some employability boost from IBM's preferential hiring.

    I do worry a bit about lock-in at an early age, though. A 14-year-old is young enough that a decent proportion may turn out not to really want a career in computer science after all, especially because I suspect decisions on whether to go here or not will in many cases be either made by or strongly pressured by parents. Will the curriculum be broad enough that a 20-year-old who's successfully completed it could plausibly get a job doing something other than working for IBM or a similar company? Or could they even leave at 18 with a normal HS degree and go to a 4-year college in a different major? The article is unclear about whether the 6-year-to-associates-degree part is mandatory, or if there's a possibility of opting to earn a normal high-school diploma after 4.

  • by znt on 10/3/10, 11:53 PM

    I wonder what the curriculum will be like. Are they going to teach computer programming basics and methodoligies or is that school going to be a "corporate coder" machine which spews out .Net or Java developers suited for a cubicle job for IBM?

  • by bd_at_rivenhill on 10/4/10, 12:56 AM

    Students will be chosen to attend using the standard New York City lottery system--one third of selected students will be below grade level, one third will be at grade level, and one third will be above.

    I want to thank flipp, Fast Company, and IBM for saving me $10: I don't need to go see "Waiting For Superman" now because it's all in this sentence. Why wouldn't they just start with the most qualified applicants and fill slots until there are none left?

  • by forgotAgain on 10/4/10, 1:26 PM

    Its interesting but I can't bring myself to trust the motivations of IBM.

    There are two possible scenarios here: First IBM is being straightforward and they are trying to help redevelop the US education system. Second they are trying to develop a cheaper source of US labor.

    The recent history of IBM would indicate the latter scenario is more likely.

  • by mtraven on 10/4/10, 3:45 AM

    Nice, maybe Google would be interested in doing something similar in the Bay Area? And by next September please so my high-school aged junior nerd kid can enroll? Thanks!

  • by astrofinch on 10/4/10, 3:29 AM

  • by Tichy on 10/4/10, 10:11 AM

    Somehow, without knowing the details, this makes me excited. Could there be a school where you actually learn something useful? It seems like an earth shattering concept.

  • by markbao on 10/3/10, 11:41 PM

    Very cool. Though I can't imagine the gender ratio there will promote a huge social aspect...