Session T4D 978-1-61284-469-5/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE October 12 - 15, 2011, Rapid City, SD 41 st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T4D-1 Public School Students Left Behind: Contrasting the Trends in Public and Private School Computer Science Advanced Placement Participation Kevin Freisen, Tim Sanders, and Jennifer S. Kay Rowan University, freise29@students.rowan.edu, sander80@students.rowan.edu, kay@rowan.edu Abstract - Across the United States, interest in computer science as a major is down, as are the number of Bachelor's degrees in computer science. While there are obvious factors like the dot com bust that may explain much of our communal enrollment crash over the last few years, anecdotal reports also suggest that the No Child Left Behind act of 2001 (NCLB), and specifically the fact that computer science is not an area that students are tested on, may be a factor in the decreased presence of computer science at the high school level. But how can we empirically separate the effect of the dot com bust from that of NCLB given the proximity in time of the two events? This paper presents a first attempt to do so: recognizing the fact that private schools are exempt from NCLB, it seems appropriate to compare public school students with their private school counterparts. We present some initial results of our investigation focusing on our home state of New Jersey. This paper discusses these results and further directions of study. Index Terms – Advanced Placement, Computer Science Education, K-12 Education, No Child Left Behind. INTRODUCTION While there are some bright spots, the general state of computer science Education in North America is pretty grim. The total number of computer science related courses offered in high schools is on the decline, [1] and the picture is not much brighter at the college level. Overall Bachelor's Degree production in computer science has continued to drop at a fairly steady pace since 2004, though there are some indications that we may have hit bottom. [2] This occurs at a time when we need more students learning about computer science – not fewer! There is general consensus that computational literacy is becoming more and more critical to the success of our students as they graduate. Furthermore, there are those who argue persuasively that a basic understanding of programming is also an essential part to computational literacy. [3] Beyond concerns about literacy, our nation is in need of computer professionals. While programming jobs are expected to decline, the need for professionals trained in various fields of computer science is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations. Indeed, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that Computer Software Engineer will be one of the fastest growing professions in the nation. [4] Many attribute the declines in computer science enrollments to the dot com bust. We also wonder whether the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) [4] might be a significant factor. Could legislation intended to improve overall student performance actually be reducing their opportunities to study computer science at the high school level? BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORK The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (formally referred to by the U.S. Department of Education as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act) [6] sets laudable goals for states to achieve: all students will “attain proficiency or better in reading/language arts and mathematics,” “be taught by highly qualified teachers,” “be educated in learning environments that are safe, drug free, and conducive to learning,” and “will graduate from high school.” [7] However NCLB has many critics who are concerned that the focus on language arts and mathematics has resulted in a decreased focus on all other subjects. Changes have been reported in the arts education curriculum under NCLB. [8] It seems likely that computer science has been affected too; in a National Study of 349 school districts, the Center on Education Policy found that 78% of districts have changed their mathematics curriculum at the high school level to emphasize NCLB tested content and skills.[9] While the field of computer science is not mentioned specifically, there is definite cause to consider that NCLB may be responsible for cuts in computer science instruction. Anecdotally, NCLB's negative impact on computing education has been reported as early as the elementary school level. [10] In March 2010 the US Department of Education put out “A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.” [11] The document does recognize that “students need a well-rounded education to contribute as citizens in our democracy and to thrive in a global economy – from literacy to mathematics, science, and technology to history, civics, foreign languages, the arts, financial literacy, and other subjects.” Indeed there are provisions for grants to help states improve their STEM programs and other curricula. However, beyond English and Mathematics, only Science seems to be slated for intense