K12 outreach
Sarah T. Hug, Jane Krauss · 2013
K12 students have limited access to computer science curricula in United States' public schools. Individuals' perceptions of the field as a masculine, elite, and individualistic profession can restrict which K12 students are encouraged to pursue careers in computer science. The Counselors for Computing (C4C) campaign is designed to expand the profile of the "future computer scientist" by educating school counselors about the need for qualified professionals in this engaging, creative, collaborative, and rich field of study. This project is a collaboration with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), the Computer Science Teachers' Association (CSTA) and more than thirty other members of NCWIT K-12 Alliance are partners in this campaign, developed to educate and equip academic school counselors to best advise students regarding computing careers. Advocates of computing who serve as academic school counselors can support student interest and aspirations towards computing through broadening course scheduling practices, linking students' current interest to computing (e.g., bioinformatics, media development), and considering multiple post-secondary paths in computer science. The C4C training program equips counselors to better inform youth about computing career paths, encourages counselors to focus on computing careers across pathways (e.g., for military, community college, and four year college/university bound students). In this poster presentation, the authors: a) describe the collaborative professional development approach taken in C4C, b) direct K12 computer science educators and stakeholders to free resources developed for C4C, and c) provide initial evidence of the program's effectiveness.