Should spreadsheet literacy be taught in k-12 education?

Answer 1

Hi,

There is no "right" answer to this question, so instead I'll offer a quick business professional take on the thought here.

Absolutely. The use of Excel through all types of employment is widely accepted. As a finance and business process manager, I routinely teach adult learners spreadsheets (of which Excel is a part of) from basic to advanced.

Not only do you learn how to operate Excel itself, but let's look at what else you learn:

1. How to organize data in columns and rows (which can open doors for those interested in databases, a whole other field of study),
2. Math, from simple to complex (including statistical analysis)
3. Logic (lot's of excel requires If/Then statement, the core of logic)
4. Security (passwords, hidden sheets, restrictions on fields to enter)
5. Dashboarding, and KPI development
6. Finance (NPV and IRR are easy to use functions in Excel)

Yes, coding is also an important skill, but the amount of Excel applications makes it an excellent topic for young learners.

Answer 2

I believe teaching this in K-12 could be very beneficial to students. They are likely to use it in college and some are likely to use this in whatever job they have chosen.