The computer science pipeline in urban high schools: access to what? For whom?

Our research was conceived out of a desire to understand why so few underrepresented students of color are learning computer science at the high school level. High school is a critical time for pre-college preparation and for getting on the right "track" for college and future career opportunities. Yet, by college the number of students of color obtaining bachelors degrees in computer science is remarkably small. In this article, we discuss our research on the high school "computer science pipeline." We define the "computer science pipeline" as the curriculum and opportunities available to students to learn computer science within their schools. Considering the tremendous economic and educational advantages, and the professional opportunities, that are available to students who understand computer science, this is a critical time to understand what factors are influencing African-American and Latino/a students' enrollment decisions.