Work In Progress: Project La Costa: IT experiences for 8-10 graders in South Texas

The results of student surveys taken at the end of the first year of Project La COSTA are described and evaluated. The CSTEP Computer Science Training Academy Program (La COSTA), consists of a three-year educational IT experience, supported by local coalitions of higher education, business, and community organizations, for 250 eighth, ninth and tenth grade Hispanic boys and girls in five Central and South Texas school districts, leading to a computer science career pathway. Project La COSTA includes after-school, weekend, and summer activities integrating computer skills, family involvement, role modeling, tutoring, mentoring, career development, and externships. The educational model uses hands-on activities to give students marketable computer skills and preparation for college-level IT-related coursework. Student surveys completed at the end of the first year of the project demonstrate significant positive changes in student attitudes toward computer use, confidence in problem solving abilities, and interactions with classroom teachers