Giving Compass' Take:

• Andrew Lewis argues that in order to guard against cyber warfare, the U.S. needs to invest in K-12 computer science.

• How can philanthropy support the development and spread of K-12 computer science programs? What other benefits do K-12 computer science classes have? 

• Learn about the potential of AI regulation to avert a cyber arms race.

A yearly rite of passage for state lawmakers across the United States is creating an annual budget, and as sure as the sun will rise and set, there will be debate about K-12 expenditures. Go to any state capitol building and you will hear arguments over whether the state is spending too much or too little to properly educate its public school students.

The issue is complicated, and policymakers on both sides of the aisle have compelling arguments to bolster their position. Budget hawks correctly state that you cannot spend what you do not have. At the same time, policymakers who represent economically disadvantaged constituencies, far too often rural or minority communities, correctly identify fewer education dollars at the local level and the need for wraparound services as reasons to increase state spending on K-12 education.

It is time we reprioritized how we think about education — not in terms of federal, state, or local expenditures, but in terms of the quality of education our citizens receive as an investment in our nation’s defense. For a well-resourced country like the United States to be undereducated and underskilled in today’s world not only is economically and socially reprehensible, it undermines current and future national security.

Read the full article about warding against cyber warfare by Andrew Lewis at The 74.