​Student Demand Leads to Computer Science Courses in California

GO-GETTER STUDENTS: Thanks to student petitions and teacher crowdfunding, AP Computer Science will be offered this fall at four California public high schools: Northgate High in Walnut Creek, Castlemont High in Oakland, and Lincoln High and Leland High in San Jose, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

The possibility of grassroots change is encouraging, especially at schools like Castlemont, where 87% of students are low-income. Although the Bay Area may be bursting with technology startups, public schools still face big hurdles when trying to teach tech skills, including a lack of hardware, Internet access and qualified instructors, among others. “We’re supposed to be getting taught 21st century skills, and we had no computer-related classes at Leland,” explains senior Ian Renfro.

Donate to the DonorsChoose campaigns for laptops at Castlemont and Chromebooks at Lincoln here.