The AP Computer Science department has been developed over the past couple of years in response to a UCLA study which examined why so few females and students of color study computer science in high school. One of the key findings of this three-year study was the underpreparation and lack of support for computer science teachers. To address these issues, LAUSD and UCLA joined together to create the Computer Science Equity Alliance, a collaboration aimed to support computer science teaching and learning in LAUSD. Since then, 38 teachers have attended professional development programs offered through this alliance, and 105 students have participated in university oureach programs.
As a result, the number of schools offering APCS and numbers of high school students enrolled in APCS has significantly increased. Importantly, the representation of African Americans, Latinos, and females has increased since the beginning of the Computer Science Equity Alliance. Teachers report that purposeful recruiting has facilitated this increase in enrollment.
With the dynamic field of computer science and frequent changes to the APCS curriculum, ongoing professional development and student support activities will continue to be a focus of the Computer Science Equity Alliance.