The Computer Science for All Summit to be Held This Week in Oakland, California

Hundreds of education leaders and STEM action makers gather for the seventh CSforALL Summit in Oakland, CA to elevate and cultivate strategies that bring equitable computer science education for all students.

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The seventh annual CSforALL Summit will be hosted  in Oakland, California at the Scottish Rite Center, with the local partner Kapor Center. With hundreds of organizations joining from over 30 states from across the nation, the STEM education development organization, CSforALL, is excited for the three-day conference to be held October 25, 2023-October 27, 2023. The Summit will be focused on highlighting strategies for achieving equity, removing barriers to access, and building meaningful engagement for all students to have access and opportunities to computer science education.

"This week the CSforALL community will come together and celebrate progress to the shared goal of computer science education for all students. This is even more critical as advanced technologies like AI take a larger role in everyone's life," says Dr. Leigh Ann DeLyser, Executive Director of CSforALL. "No one organization can do this alone and we are excited to share the collective effort of hundreds of organizations working to impact millions of students."

Efforts to raise awareness and building capacity in the K-12 computer science education space have been underway for many years: computer science education in California has grown substantially through numerous initiatives, including the CSforCA coalition's advocacy, statewide legislative efforts, local organizations, tech industry partners, CSforALL Commitments and more.

"The Kapor Center is thrilled to bring the CSforALL Summit to Oakland, in the city in which we call home, to accelerate progress towards expanding equitable, rigorous and justice-centered computer science education here in Oakland, and across California and the nation," said Dr. Allison Scott, CEO of the Kapor Foundation. "We firmly believe every student, especially those from backgrounds underrepresented in computing, deserves access to educational experiences which will empower them to be leaders in the ethical development and usage of emerging technologies. And we will continue to support efforts in Oakland Unified to build CS teacher capacity, as well as the CSforCA coalition's efforts to advance state level policy."

California's longstanding education efforts to expand computer science education will be well-represented at the Summit, with ten local California-based organizations committing their support to CS education, including: Dev/Mission, Tech Exchange, Kai XR, Mission Bit, Hack the Hood, The Hidden Genius Project, TEAM, Inc., GHTech Inc, SMASH, and Career Catalyst. Additionally, multiple organizations state-wide and nationally will announce new and innovative computer science education commitments to unlock CS education access and opportunities for students.

With over 75 speakers, eight breakout sessions, and five fireside chats, the CSforALL and Kapor Center teams will bring together the K-12 computer science community to share, learn and celebrate progress in the #CSforALL movement.

This year's theme is Strengthen the CS Movement through Equity. Many students in both urban and rural communities lack access to high quality CS education, and by strengthening the movement, we build capacity in those communities to increase outcomes for youth. To achieve the goal of ALL students, we must strengthen the technology educational opportunities and access for students and teachers by reimagining and improving the education system with support and engaging resources. Only then, no matter what a student's background or zip code, each student will participate in a robust fundamental computer science education and be prepared for STEM career pathways.

Notable speakers include: Mayor Sheng Thao, Mayor of Oakland, California; Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember, D3s; Dr. Freada Kapor Klein, Co-Chair, Kapor Center; Founding Partner, Kapor Capital; Founder, SMASH, Mitch Kapor, Co-Chair, Kapor Center; Founding Partner, Kapor Capital; Natasha Singer, Technology Reporter, New York Times; Dr. Chad Womack, Vice President, National STEM Programs and Tech Initiatives, UNCF; Nabiha Syed, CEO, The MarkUp; Tawana Petty, Founding Director, and Petty Propolis.

About CSforALL
The CSforALL Mission is to make high-quality computer science an integral part of the education experience for all K-12 students by mobilizing and strengthening expertise, capacity, and knowledge of communities to support the next generation of problem solvers through systemic-change initiatives and partnerships.

CSforALL is the national hub of the computer science for all movement with a mission to make high-quality computer science an integral part of K-12 education in the United States. We connect providers, schools and districts, funders, and researchers working toward the goal of providing quality CS education to every child in the United States, and engage with diverse stakeholders leading computer science initiatives across the nation to support and facilitate implementation of rigorous, inclusive and sustainable computer science. For more information: www.csforall.org; Twitter/X: @CSforALL

The 2023 CSforALL Summit will be held October 25–27, 2023 in Oakland, CA. For more speaker and agenda information, please visit: https://www.summit.csforall.org.

About Kapor Center
The Kapor Center is a recognized leader in the movement to enhance diversity and inclusion in the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem through increasing access to tech and STEM education programs, conducting research on access and opportunity in computing, investing in community organizations and gap-closing social ventures, and increasing access to capital among diverse entrepreneurs. For more information on the Kapor Center and the Kapor family organizations, SMASH and Kapor Capital, visit www.kaporcenter.org.

Contact: [email protected].

SOURCE Kapor Center