1.9. PD Advocacy Recruiting¶
1.9.1. AP® Equity and Access Policy¶
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP® programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial,and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved. For more information please visit the College Board's website.
1.9.2. Advocating with Administrators¶
It's not enough to want to teach CS Principles in your school. Working with school and district officials, you may face hurdles in convincing them to add CS Principles to the course offerings. Here are some resources that you can use to help convince administrators and other stakeholders of the importance of offering CS Principles.
- Rebooting the Pathway to Success report (State specific workforce data in the appendices)
- LAUSD Code.org video - Los Angeles school district on why they are offering computer science to every student
- Moving Beyond Computer Literacy: Why schools should teach computer science (brochure from the National Center for Women & Information Technology)
1.9.3. Actively Recruiting Students¶
It's also not enough to just add CS Principles to your school's course offerings. You'll need to help students understand why they should take the course and why working with App Inventor is going to change their lives. It's very important to also keep in mind that the computer science community benefits from having everyone represented in the CS classroom - including girls and minorities. Here are some resources you can use in your recruitment efforts.
- Mobile CSP's Student Recruitment folder with example posters for promoting the course in your school as well as other materials.
- College Board AP CSP Toolkit with free brochures, posters, and other materials.
- College Board Recruitment Strategies for AP CSP
- Webinar on active recruiting strategies and Counselors 4 Computing materials
- Code.org Computer Science Principles video
- Video on how computer science impacts many different areas (farming, medicine, textiles, etc.)
- How to Actively Recruit Women into CS - PPT Presentation
- Sample Poster (PDF)
- Materials for Counselors: NCWIT's Counselors for Computing
- Webinar on active recruiting strategies and Counselors 4 Computing materials
More detailed information on active recruiting, including appropriate messages to use, is available in Unit 10: Inclusive and Effective CS Teaching.