Equity in Pennsylvania’s Secondary CS Education System: A Longitudinal Study of Student and Teacher Participation

• In Event: Promoting Equitable CS and AI Education: Strategies to Expand Capacity and Access

Abstract

Objectives or Purposes
This study aims to examine grade 7-12 CS education across Pennsylvania (PA) from the 2018-19 to 2022-23 school years by addressing the following questions:
(1) How have Pennsylvania districts’ CS course offerings changed from 2018-2023, and how do offerings vary across school district urbanicity groups (e.g., rural, suburban, city)?
(2) To what extent is the grade 7-12 CS student population and CS teacher workforce representative of PA’s general grade 7-12 student population?
Theoretical Framework
This study is grounded in the CAPE framework [5], which is organized into four interdependent levels including Capacity, Access, Participation, and Experience. This study uses the CAPE framework because each level includes measures to evaluate the extent of equitable integration of CS education.
Methods and Data Sources
Researchers descriptively analyzed differences in the relative frequency of CS students, teachers, and courses across school years, demographic groups, and school-level characteristics (e.g., urbanicity).
This study used administrative data from two statewide data systems—TIMS and PIMS—from 2018 to 2023. The TIMS contains demographic data on all Pennsylvania teachers. The PIMS contains data on PA’s CS courses, student enrollment, and student demographics.
Results
Results indicate that from school years 2018-19 to 2022-23, the proportion of Pennsylvania districts offering at least 1 grade 7-12 CS course increased from 57% to 71%, with most growth occurring before the COVID-19 pandemic. City districts consistently had the lowest proportion offering at least one CS course, AP or otherwise, and grew the least compared to districts in other locales (see Exhibit 1).
White students were overrepresented in grade 7-12 CS compared to the state’s general 7-12 student population, while Black and Hispanic students were underrepresented. Male students were overrepresented in CS compared to the general 7-12 student population, while female students were underrepresented (see Exhibit 2).
In Pennsylvania, White grade 7-12 CS teachers were overrepresented compared to the general 7-12 student population. In the 2022‒23 school year, White CS teachers made up 96% of the teacher workforce despite White students comprising only 62% of the grade 7-12 student population. Grade 7-12 Black and Hispanic CS teachers were highly underrepresented in the state teacher workforce compared to Pennsylvania’s grade 7-12 student population (see Exhibit 3).
Significance
This study demonstrates the need to increase participation of female students and students from traditionally underrepresented racial groups in CS courses across the Commonwealth. Moreover, this study highlights the need to recruit, prepare, and retain more CS teachers from underrepresented gender and racial identity groups. The racial and gender disparity in the CS teacher workforce is concerning since teachers play an influential role in shaping students’ academic interest and career aspirations in CS [6]. Moreover, prior research has identified the benefits of a diverse teacher workforce that represents students’ identities. For example, prior research identified that Black students who have at least one Black teacher are more likely to have positive academic outcomes in ELA and Mathematics and increased likelihood to graduate high school than their same-school, same-race peers without a Black teacher [7,8,9].

Authors

• Robert Schwarzhaupt, American Institutes for Research

• Sara Frey, Lancaster Lebanon IU13

• Amy E. Trauth, American Institutes for Research

• Judd Pittman, Pennsylvania Department of Education