Access, Power, and the Framework of a CS Education Ecosystem

Abstract

In the 21st century, the ability to shape, drive and innovate in computing spaces is unequivocally associated with power. However, students of color disproportionately experience the afflictions of poverty and powerlessness. Moving them from being consumers to producers of technology is one approach for changing that narrative. In the context of Computer Science (CS) education, there is much more at stake for students of color than simply joining the technical workforce. The shift to being producers of technology has disproportionate significance to students of color who would be able to perceive themselves as being in positions of technical power. This shift must begin in the current reality of the CS education ecosystem. Applying best practices for increasing diversity in engineering, we argue for a reformation of the CS education ecosystem that redistributes access and power to empower future generations of students of color, thereby broadening participation in CS.