Why early exposure to computing matters
Students who take a foundational computer science course in high school are more likely to pursue computing further in college, yet access remains uneven across the country. Code.org's 2023 State of Computer Science Education report found that around 60 percent of U.S. high schools offer a foundational CS course, and participation gaps persist by gender, race and geography — girls remain roughly half as likely as boys to enroll even where courses are available.
ACS treats closing that gap as a workforce issue as much as an equity issue: employers across the Texas Tech Triangle and nationwide report persistent shortages of qualified entry-level technical talent. Teachers, parents and community volunteers are often the first people to show a young person that a computing career is realistic and attainable, long before any college recruiter or employer does.
For teachers: classroom-ready support
ACS partners with established national efforts including Code.org, CSforALL and the Computer Science Teachers Association rather than duplicating their curricula. Our role is to connect teachers to vetted, free resources and to local industry volunteers who bring real-world context into the classroom. Code.org's Hour of Code, run every December during Computer Science Education Week, remains one of the most widely adopted entry points, requiring no prior teaching experience in computing.
The CSforALL Consortium connects districts and nonprofits working toward making rigorous, inclusive computer science part of the core curriculum in every K-12 school. ACS chapters help local teachers find affiliated programs in their district, host in-classroom guest speakers from working technologists, and provide small grants for classroom hardware such as single-board computers or robotics kits where chapter funding allows.
For parents: guiding without a technical background
Parents do not need a computing background to encourage a child toward tech; consistent encouragement, exposure to role models and help finding low-cost extracurricular programs matter more than technical knowledge. Free platforms such as Code.org, Scratch from the MIT Media Lab, and CS Unplugged — which teaches computing concepts without a computer at all — give families accessible starting points regardless of household income or device access.
ACS maintains a directory of free and low-cost after-school and summer programs, including CoderDojo clubs, Girls Who Code clubs and library coding nights, with a concentration of Texas listings across Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. Parents can also request an ACS STEM Ambassador speaker for school career days, scouting troops or community events at no cost.
The ACS STEM Ambassadors program
The ACS STEM Ambassadors program trains working technology professionals — software engineers, security analysts, data scientists and IT leaders — to volunteer in classrooms, career fairs and mentoring settings. Ambassadors complete a short onboarding covering child safeguarding, age-appropriate communication, and how to talk about their own career path in a way that resonates with students who may not see themselves reflected in the industry.
Once certified, Ambassadors sign up for opportunities through the chapter network, from a single career-day talk to a semester-long mentoring relationship with a high school robotics or coding club. Ambassador work counts toward chapter volunteer recognition and CPD credit, and many members use it as a structured way to build mentoring and public-speaking experience early in their careers.
- Half-day onboarding covering safeguarding and effective classroom communication
- Flexible commitment: single talks, semester mentoring, or judging student competitions
- Available through every ACS chapter, with priority placement in under-resourced districts
Widening participation in computing education
National data consistently shows underrepresentation of women and of Black, Hispanic and rural students in computer science enrollment and, later, in the technology workforce. Organizations including Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code and the National Center for Women & Information Technology have long track records tackling this directly, and ACS chapters are encouraged to partner with them rather than build parallel programming.
ACS also supports rural and smaller-metro Texas districts, often underserved relative to Austin, Dallas and Houston schools, through virtual guest-speaker sessions and donated equipment drives, recognizing that broadband and hardware access remain real barriers in parts of the state. Volunteers can indicate an equity-focused preference when signing up as a STEM Ambassador.
How to get involved
Getting started takes three steps: identify your role — teacher, parent or volunteer — find your nearest ACS chapter through the chapter directory, and complete the relevant sign-up: the STEM Ambassador application for volunteers, or the classroom resource request for teachers. Most requests are matched with a local contact within two weeks.
ACS publishes an annual Inspire a Career in Tech toolkit each fall ahead of Computer Science Education Week, bundling lesson plans, a customizable career-day slide deck and a calendar of national deadlines including Hour of Code week and regional science fair dates, so schools and volunteers can plan a full year of engagement in advance.