Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel calls for national computer coding requirement in schools

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called on the federal government to make computer coding classes a requirement of high-school graduation. Mayor Emanuel, who previously served as President Barack Obama's chief of staff, predicted that if the Administration made it a national priority, a host of other education policy decisions would fall into place around it.

"Just make it a requirement," he said during a tech policy event. "I am fine with Common Core. We adopted it in the city, one of the first cities to do it. I'm great. [But] you need this skill -- national policy. Make it a high-school graduation requirement." Mayor Emanuel also talked about the importance of the Federal Communications Commission's E-rate program, which provides Internet connections for schools and libraries usually paid for by extra costs tacked on phone customers' bills.