The Justice-Centered Computer Science Initiative
for K-12 Education
We envision a computer science education ecosystem where all students experience inclusive and equitable learning environments that enable the interrogation of the creation of technology, the examination of ethical concerns, risks, and harms, and the building of knowledge to harness the power of computing for justice.
Core Pillars
This collaborative initiative will seek to advance Justice-Centered CS education through the following:
- Policy
- Research & Data
- Content & Teaching Standards
- Curriculum
- Pedagogy
- Teacher Training
- Funding
- Coalition-Building
Collaborators
Our Goal
Justice-centered, equitable K-12 computer science education addresses structural educational inequality, critically interrogates the computing ecosystem, and develops with intentionality the resources, programs, and policies to achieve full access and meaningful outcomes for students of all identities and abilities, with an explicit focus on students underrepresented in computing as well as those that sit at the identity intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status.
Responsible AI and Tech Justice: A Guide for K-12 Education
A guide crafted for K12 educators supporting critical interrogation of the ethics and implications of artificial intelligence and technology on individuals, their communities, and the world.
“We need people designing technologies for society to have training and an education on the histories of marginalized people, at a minimum, and we need them working alongside people with rigorous training and preparation from the social sciences and humanities.”
– Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble, Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
Definition:
Responsible AI and Tech Justice is a robust and comprehensive course of study that utilizes an explicit racial and social justice lens to equip all students with the knowledge and resources to critically interrogate the ethical and equitable development, deployment, and impacts of AI, while simultaneously challenging, disrupting, and remedying the harms that these various technologies can cause within individual’s lives, communities, and society at large.
Core Components
The Six Core Components serve as a guide for educators, parents, policymakers, and advocates seeking to design learning experiences for students and teachers aligned to the vision of justice-centered computing education, where both the critical interrogation of technologies and the disruption and creation of more ethical and equitable solutions is prioritized.
AI, Racial Justice and Our Future
Leading AI researchers and experts Alex Hanna and Timnit Gebru from DAIR Institute engage with Mitch Kapor, Co-Chair of Kapor Center to discuss the ethical harms that exist within AI, emerging technologies, and the future direction of AI and AI research.
Responsible AI and Tech Justice:
Request for Proposals
Kapor Foundation aims to support partners interested in submitting project proposals to develop new resources, projects, and curricula that intentionally articulate and implement the Responsible AI and Tech Justice Guide’s core components. Specifically, this Request for Proposals seeks projects to develop and implement projects that adopt responsible AI and tech justice practices within K-12 classrooms and out-of-school time spaces nationwide, across subjects and grade bands.