Identifying Barriers and Practices for Broadening Computing Participation Among Underrepresented High School Students in California

• In Event: 47.027 - CS for All: An Intersectional Approach to Unpacking Equity in Computer Science Education

Abstract

This poster will describe an examination of computer science education implementation efforts within California, utilizing current and retrospective data on equity in access and participation. This project is analyzing high school computing education pathways across the state, including the availability of courses, participation in courses by demographic groups, and trends in participation over the past three years. The project also examines the efficacy of initiatives to reduce inequity in three large focal districts which have demonstrated leadership in the implementation of district-wide computer science education initiatives—San Francisco Unified School District, Oakland Unified School District, and Los Angeles Unified School District. Thus, using statewide student and course data, district-level, and student-level data, this poster will share results of this longitudinal examination at the state and district levels of access, participation, success, and persistence in K-12 computer science education among underrepresented students to determine whether race and gender equity gaps have decreased over the past three years.

Further, this poster will document the obstacles and barriers to participation existing despite access to courses, to directly inform the design and implementation of the next generation of computing education initiatives. This project examines two key questions: (1) Have the implementation of computer science initiatives increased access, equity, participation, success, and persistence of underrepresented groups in computing in California? (2) What demographic, academic, and curricular factors are predictive of student enrollment, success, and persistence in computer science? Utilizing this research-based approach to drive equity, this poster will reveal the efficacy of computing education pathways within California, and will examine focal district-level data to determine the efficacy of current practices and policies to broaden participation in computing.

These findings, along with evidence of variables predicting successful outcomes, will contribute to ongoing district and state-level implementation plans, such that continuous improvement can be made to increase the number of women and underrepresented students with access to computer science courses, enrolled in computer science courses, demonstrating successful completion and persisting in computing sequences. This research will additionally help to refine and test models for broadening participation in K-12 computing education that can be utilized across local districts, states, and at the national level. Thus, this poster will inform larger strategies and initiatives for broadening participation in computing among underrepresented students across the nation.

Authors

• Julie Flapan, University of California - Los Angeles

• Frieda McAlear, Kapor Center for Social Impact

• Alexis Martin, Kapor Center for Social Impact

• Allison Scott, Kapor Center for Social Impact

• Sonia Koshy, Kapor Center for Social Impact