CAPE is a framework for examining equity in computer science education.

What is it about?

Tackling the challenge of the underrepresentation of Black, LatinX, and Indigenous individuals as well as women in computer science (CS) will require examining how multiple policies and factors can influence diversity and inclusion across the K20 education pipeline. The CAPE Framework highlights four key components of CS education: Capacity for, Access to, Participation in, and Experience of CS education. Leading indicators of equitable CS education such as capacity and access can help to explain the persistent disparities we find in lagging indicators such as enrollment (participation) and degree attainment (experience). All of these levels should be examined if we hope to improve equitable outcomes in CS education and create a more diverse CS workforce.

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Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Why is it important?

A lack of diversity in the computing workforce is a barrier both to individual economic advancement for millions of Americans, and a competitive disadvantage for American companies. We need to understand how inequities are manifest in the K-12 CS education pipeline if we hope to substantively improve diversity in the computer science profession.