Giving Compass' Take:

• Data shows that a program to increase the number of girl and Latinx students taking AP computer science in Nevada was a success. 

• How can funders help to clarify the relationship between taking AP computer science, or other one-off courses and STEM careers? 

• Learn about a program working to address the lack of computer science educators. 

New data shows that Nevada participation in the AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) course grew by 127 percent from 2017 to 2018, more than doubling the national expansion rate of 50 percent. During this same time period, female participation in the state grew by 175 percent and Hispanic/Latino participation grew by 179 percent.

The dramatic increase comes just as the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) has committed to engaging more students from diverse backgrounds in advanced computer science. NDE announced it will work with school districts to increase the enrollment of female, black, Hispanic, and students with disabilities in computer science courses by 10 percent during the 2018-19 academic year. NDE made the announcement last week at the 2018 CSforALL Summit in Detroit.

Since 2016, Nevada has partnered with the College Board, Code.org, and the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program on a two-year pilot initiative to expand access to AP CSP across the state. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is partially funding the expansion through a grant to help bring AP CSP to every school district in Nevada, with a special focus on rural communities. Additional funding for teacher training came from a grant provided by Senate Bill 200 in the 2017 Legislature that authorized the creation of the academic content standards for computer science and other computer science education initiatives in Nevada.

Read the full article about girls and Latinx students taking AP computer science at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.