Recruiting Diverse Learners to High School Computer Science

Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices researchers Cynthia L. Blitz, Vivian Allen, and David Amiel presented 'Recruiting Diverse Learners to High School Computer Science' at the 52nd Association for Computing Machinery Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education in 2021 (SIGCSE21). The presentation highlighted strategies for improving recruitment and engagement of under-represented students into high school computer science classes. Operating within the collaborative structure of a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP), the computer science diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies were conceived by members of the Rutgers Computer Science Teaching and Learning Collaboratory (CS-TLC), a National Science Foundation-funded RPP established to build the capacity of schools to provide rigorous, inclusive computer science education. 

Through an audit and reflection on current practice coupled with a synthesis of major findings from the education literature, CS-TLC formulated a three-pronged strategy to address equitable student recruitment: i. tailoring communication and outreach activities; ii. revisiting and updating relevant institutional practices or policies that directly or indirectly impact recruitment and engagement; and iii. enhancing existing instructional practices. The presentation previewed each of these approaches, shared what was preliminary qualitative evidence regarding their efficacy, and highlighted the benefits of working within an RPP to conduct such work.