Building Pathways to Computer Science Success in Early County, Georgia 

Before 2021, the Early County School District in Georgia had no Computer Science program for its students. Three years later, the district’s high school will have four students complete its new computer science pathway. Through a partnership with the Kapor Center, the 52% Black school district has established a complete 6th through 12th-grade computer science pathway for students in Early County. They leveraged the Kapor Center’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Computer (CRSC) Framework, developed in partnership with a national collective of education advocates to create more pathways for Black, Latinx, Native American, and other marginalized students to computer science education, tech careers, and STEM-related fields. The rural district faced challenges found in many similar districts across the country – lack of devices, the need for teachers with computer science certification, and a curriculum that helped students achieve industry-standard skills while considering culturally responsive practices. The goal of the partnership is to ensure that the students of Early County will realize the Kapor Foundation’s mission, “To create a more equitable technology ecosystem that addresses longstanding racial inequality, creates economic opportunity, tackles critical societal issues, and reflects the power and perspectives of communities of color.”