Democratizing Computer Science

Computer science programs are too often identified with a narrow stratum of the student population, often white or Asian boys who have access to computers at home. But because computers play such a huge role in our world today, all students can benefit from the study of computer science and the opportunity to build skills related to computing. The Exploring Computer Science course, originally developed for the Los Angeles Unified School District, enables students from all backgrounds to study the fundamentals of computer science. The course engages students by having the work in groups on projects that are meaningful to them. They might design web pages on topics of interest, collect and analyze data about their snacking habits, or build and program robots to dance to their favorite songs. Instead of sitting at a computer and working independently engage in inquiry learning together. Teachers of the course receive ongoing professional development that that use instructional practices similar to those in the course. Course demographics mirror those of the often low-income and diverse schools where the course is offered. The authors encourage school and policy makers to continue broadening participation in computer science by making more courses available and recruiting more computer science teachers.