Equity in Computer Science Education with Julia Flores
Certified: Certiport Educator Podcast
English - October 20, 2021 06:00 - 31 minutes - 28.1 MB - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsEducation Technology business career technology certifications education educationconference educationcourses educators students teacher Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
The computer science field is exploding! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in computer science (CS) are expected to grow 22% over the next decade, much higher than other industry’s projected growth percentages. While this growth presents amazing opportunities for many, some populations are less likely to benefit. Black, Latinx, and female professionals are underrepresented in computer science today. According to 2020 survey data, only 25.2% of computing occupations are held by women, dropping even lower for Blacks (9.1%) and Latinx (8.4%).
We were privileged to be able to discuss this issue with Julia Flores. Julia was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She was fortunate enough to attend several Chicago Public Schools before going on to receive a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and two master's degrees from Roosevelt University.
Over the course of 15 years, Julia has been a teacher, school administrator, and district administrator primarily within Career and Technical Education at one of the largest school districts in the nation. Her career has been focused on curriculum, professional development, and assessment development. She rounded out her experience when she served as a Director of Instruction for one of the largest out-of-school-time non-profits in the United States. She eventually started her own consulting firm and focused her attention on public education. Through her company, she was able to return to help Chicago Public Schools develop the first-ever holistic CS program in the nation.
Now, Julia works with the CS for Success team to help other educational entities create equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science experiences for students.
In this episode, we discuss the CS education landscape in the United States, along with the inequities teachers and students face. Plus, Julia shares her advice and resources to help CS educators advocate for themselves and their students.
You can learn more about CS for Success on their website and Twitter. You can also check out this video to discover why CS for Success was founded: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFGiOWm8lw8
Website- https://www.csforsuccess.com/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CSforSuccess