Computer Science
I’ve taken all 3 Computer Science courses at KCH and I’m also a part of the robotics team this year … Now, I know that my passion lies in computer programming. I want to study computer engineering in college. I believe in myself and know that I can do it because I’ve already taken TWO college level computer science courses here at KCH … Because I’m African American and a female, people may underestimate me or what I’m capable of, but I’m excited to change that perception people might have." - Mirielle Madison, KIPP Columbus HS Junior
KIPP Nashville AP CS Principles student proudly displays his Unit 2 Favicon Project
Why offer a K-12 Computer Science Pathway?
Computer science proficiency offers a path to a secure economic future. Over the past 30 years, STEM employment growth has outpaced other sectors by 45%. The majority of this growth lies within the computer science field. More than 67% of current STEM job openings are in computing. Not only is there great opportunity in computing, college graduates with a computer science degree earn 40% more than other graduates. (PEW Reports, Code.org, and US Bureau of Labor Statistic)
Exposure to CS in K-12 years matters. Students who take AP Computer Science are 7 times more likely to major in CS; women are 10 times more likely! According to a Google Research Study, 98% of CS Majors report having been exposed to CS prior to college. If we are not offering students access to rigorous CS classes in high school, particularly students of color and female students, they will be ill-prepared to major in CS, and will miss out on future economic opportunities. (College Board)
Access to CS classes is an equity issue. Major gaps exist in the career sector based on race and gender- 84% of STEM professionals in the US are white or Asian males. Only 5% of workforce in top tech companies is Black or Latino. Currently, only 23% of AP Computer Science Test Takers are women. Down the line, we see how these inequities impact the tech workforce, where only 11% of tech executives are women. (National Science Foundation Code2040
Who's offering CompSci at KIPP?
KIPP's current computer science adoption data from the 2019-2020 school year:
High School: 26 High Schools now offer computer science
19 offer AP CS Principles with 51% female enrollment
12 schools plan to launch AP CSA in 2020-2021
Middle School: 50 Middle Schools offer a computer science class/elective
35 schools utilizing Code.org's Computer Science Discoveries
15 schools utilizing Project Lead the Way CompSci Units
KIPP NYC is partnering with Brown University to integrate Data Science into Social Studies. Units will be scaled to other regions in 2020-2021.
Elementary School: 4 KIPP Regions are utilizing the K-4 Computational Thinking Units created and piloted in 2019-2020 with KIPP NYC
What have we learned?
It's easy to launch: Most curricula are free and teacher training is robust and readily available to KIPP schools.
It's FUN: All current CS curricula have over a 90% satisfaction rating across KIPP implementers. Teachers and students love it.
No expert needed: Due to the high-quality teacher training and in-depth teaching materials, anyone can teach CS!
No special tech needed: Most curricula can be run on a chromebook. No fancy hardware needed.
What does KIPP recommend for a K-12 CS Pathway?
KIPP New Orleans Kindergarten students complete Beebot activity from the K-4 Computational Thinking Unit
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