School praised for girls’ course access

Sylvan Hills High School in the Pulaski County Special School District is a recipient of the College Board’s Advanced Placement Computer Science Female Diversity Award for achieving high female representation in its AP Computer Science Principles course.

James Pruitt teaches the course and works to expand girls’ access in AP computer science courses, the Pulaski County Special district said in announcing the award.

More than 1,000 institutions achieved either 50%

or higher female representation in one of the two AP computer science courses, or a percentage of the female

computer science exam-takers meeting or exceeding that

of the school’s female population during the 2020-21 school year.

In 2021, Sylvan Hills High was one of 760 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles across the country and one of 12 in Arkansas.

“By encouraging young women to study advanced computer science coursework, Sylvan Hills High School is closing the gap in computer science education and empowering young women to access the opportunities available in STEM career fields,” said Stefanie Sanford, College Board chief of global policy and external relations. “Computer science is the foundation of many 21st-century career options, and young women deserve equal opportunities to pursue computer science education and drive technological innovation.”

The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $91,250 in May 2020. However, a code.org analysis of 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that women represent just 24% of the 5 million people in the field.