An examination of the factors correlating with course failure in a high school computer science course

Enrollment in high school computer science (CS) courses is increasing but generally not with even distribution across race and gender. The Chicago Public Schools has sought to ensure equitable access by enacting CS as high school graduation requirement. Exploring Computer Science (ECS) is the primary course that fulfills the requirement. It is an introductory course fostering deep engagement through equitable inquiry around CS concepts. Providing students with support for succeeding in ECS is critical so that students can graduate from high school. We examine the factors correlating with student failure in the course and find evidence for the importance of engaging teachers in professional development, in conjunction with requiring a course specifically designed to provide an equitable computer science experience.