GIRLS ROCK TECH: Integrating Computer Science Education into a National Girls Empowerment Program

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The underrepresentation of women of color in computing is an acute challenge in the spectrum of underrepresentation in computing in the United States. The study, Integrating Computing Education into a National Girls Empowerment Program, offers pedagogical innovation in computing while leveraging emphasis on the cultural grounding of young women of color. Educational innovation alone - in modes of instruction and curricular innovation - has proven insufficient in increasing the number of women in computing fields and earning undergraduate degrees in computer science. The study is an effort to further develop understanding of the interplay between gender empowerment and computing education to increase the participation and success of girls of color in computing.Infusing music as the cornerstone of computing education is an effective learning tool. Doing so in a manner that is embedded in a girls empowerment program is a novel experiential exercise. Establishing the intellectual framework for integrating computing education and gender empowerment is a significant contribution to the computing education community. The pre-existence of a national empowerment program in which to conduct the learning experiment presents significant potential for broader impact and increased participation of young women of color in computing.