The Bryn Mawr School has been awarded the College Board’s AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award for 2021, which aims to help close the gender gap in the computer science field. This is the fourth consecutive year that Bryn Mawr has received this award.
Out of 20,000 institutions offering AP courses, Bryn Mawr is one of 1,020 to earn the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award and one of only 63 schools in the world to receive a special designation for expanding access through both AP Computer Science A and AP Computer Science Principles.
Nine courses are currently offered in the Upper School, including Honors Programming iPhone Apps, Industrial Design, Robotics, Advanced Topics in Computer Science, and multiple AP Computer Science courses. This year, students can take a Quantum Computing course as well as a social innovators program incorporating computer science. Additionally, every student, beginning in a device-free pre-k class, takes Computer Science, covering topics such as programming, robotics, and computational thinking. Many students continue to take Computer Science courses throughout their Upper School experience.
“By encouraging young women to study advanced computer science coursework, Bryn Mawr is closing the gap in computer science education and empowering young women to access the opportunities available in STEM career fields,” says 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.