While Black people comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, they represent only 7 percent of the computing workforce. Even more unsettling, of the many computational occupations, the majority of that 7 percent are “computer support specialists.” HBCUs are uniquely positioned to increase the number and percentage of Black people in the computing workforce. Of the 100 HBCUs that qualify for federal support, 11 are among the top 100 postsecondary institutions for graduating Black students in Computer Sciences and Math. Moreover, the educational outcomes for underrepresented students in college often depend on the instruction they received in high school. Therefore, the Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network in partnership with L.L. Burge and Associates, LLC will leverage HBCUs to facilitate a series of professional development trainings for high school CS teachers in districts that are diverse socially, culturally, and economically. This will not only increase the number of high school teachers qualified to teach CS courses, but will also build a community of educators, HBCU CS departments, and inclusive CS curriculum developers.
