ADVISORY: Level Playing Field Institute to Release New Report on Severe Disparities in Computer Science Education in California

(Oakland, CA) On May 7^th, students across the nation will sit down to take the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam. Unfortunately, very few test takers in California will be students of color or students from low-income families, largely due to severe disparities in access to computer science education in California’s public schools. In its new report, Path Not Found, LPFI provides new, detailed data on the vast disparities in computer science course offerings across California public high schools by student body demographics such as race, socioeconomic status, and primary language. The report also highlights dismal computer science enrollment in California’s 20 largest school districts and offers recommendations to close these gaps in opportunity.

Local data will be provided for the following school districts: Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, Kern High School District, Sweetwater Union High, Long Beach Unified, Fresno Unified, Elk Grove Unified, San Francisco Unified, Corona-Norco Unified, Capistrano Unified, Santa Ana Unified, San Bernardino Unified, San Juan Unified, Garden Grove Unified, Riverside Unified, Sacramento City Unified, Fontana Unified, Clovis Unified, Oakland Unified and Stockton Unified

Mitch Kapor, Partner Kapor Capital and founder of Lotus Corporation; Dr. Freada Kapor Klein, LPFI founder and partner at Kapor Capital; Dr. Alexis Martin, LPFI Director of Research; Claire Shorall, Computer science teacher at Castlemont High School in Oakland; Dr. Julie Flapan, Executive Director, Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools

Thursday May 7^th, 2015

10:30am PT /1:30pmET