Equalizing Unequal Opportunities to Advance With Computer Science

• In Event: 14.045 - Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: 14.045-1 - "Achievement" in STEM: Exploring Educational Opportunity and Bias

Abstract

As our society becomes ever-dependent on technologies, we must ensure that those who create these technologies represent society. Despite efforts to ubiquitize technology in schools, opportunities and achievement in U.S. K-12 schools are still not equal. In this paper, we explore opportunities and barriers in computer science (CS) education for U.S. students by race/ethnicity and gender through annual surveys of 16,000 students, parents, teachers, principals, and superintendents over two years. We find both social and institutional barriers play a part in the underrepresentation of girls, Blacks, and Hispanics in CS. The factors contributing to underrepresentation of these different groups are complex and varied, and thus efforts to broaden participation need to tailor to the varied needs.

Authors

• Jennifer Wang, Google Inc

• Sepehr Hejazi Moghadam, Google Inc