2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In recent years, significant private and public resources have been applied to increase access to computing education in K12 schools. While these efforts have led to growth in the number of high schools offering courses in computer science (CS), access and achievement for students historically underrepresented in STEM have lagged behind national averages. This paper examines the impact of the authors’ work to address this issue as supported by a collaborative NSF CSforAll award. The work seeks to develop high school teachers’ content knowledge and pedagogic skills in order to offer high-quality, equity-focused instruction of the Advanced Placement (AP) CS Principles curriculum. This was done through summer training and a unique capacity-building model where high school teachers co-teach with a university instructor for one full year. This paper presents a preliminary study of student attitudes from the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 academic years as an indirect means for assessing the implemented approach to teacher development and the program overall. Across a diverse set of circumstances—different instructors, student grade level, student preparation, student race/ethnicity, etc.—we have observed some consistent trends. Participation in this AP-level CS course has led to a decrease in student self-efficacy as well as the students’ own assessment of their interest in the field of CS. In contrast with these trends, the research team observed strong reporting of students planning to pursue CS-related careers following their high school graduation, with some notable exceptions.