Code Nation

A tech career can be a pathway to prosperity, but young people growing up in low-income circumstances have less access to the computer science courses, networking opportunities, and role models that launch careers in tech. This disparity perpetuates inequity and leaves tremendous potential untapped.

With a volunteer teaching corps that includes hundreds of professional web and software developers, Code Nation mobilizes the tech community to provide tuition-free coding courses and work-based learning programs to students who attend under-resourced schools. Our programs promote career readiness by equipping high school students with technical and professional skills, experiences, connections, and confidence that pave the way to successful tech careers.

Research shows that four of five students who pursue STEM careers decide to do so before they leave high school (STEM Perceptions: Student & Parent Study, Microsoft/Harris Interactive, 2011). However, only 40% of principals report that their schools offer a computer science course, and this number goes down drastically in low-income neighborhoods. 

Lack of access to tech education acts as a barrier to economic and career advancement for under-resourced communities. This is reflected in the most recent diversity reports released by the major tech companies (such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook) where on average employees are only 3% Black, 4.3% Latinx, and 23.9% women. 

Meanwhile, there remains a vast demand for new talent across the tech sector. There were 500,000 unfilled computing jobs in the U.S. as of 2015. Employment of software developers is projected to grow 24% from 2016 to 2026, much faster than the average for all occupations, and with a median salary of $103,560 -- more than double the median wage of all workers (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018).

Code Nation targets the untapped future of the workforce: youth living in historically marginalized communities. Our student population is 91% students of color, 75% low-income, and 45% young women. “Low-income” is defined by whether a young person is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at school, an indicator defined by federal standards. Unlike many other technology education programs, our programs are entirely  free for our students. With the tech sector playing an increasingly powerful role in our world, it is of urgent importance that it evolves to better reflect the full spectrum of our society.  

It is no coincidence that the students we serve represent populations that are underrepresented in the private sector as a whole, particularly and now publicly in the vastly growing tech sector. Why these populations have been excluded from the digital economy is because they represent communities that lack access to economic opportunity, quality education, affordable and quality housing, and quality healthcare, an interconnected set of circumstances that deeply affect the well-being and potential of youth. Further, racist, sexist and biased hiring and cultural norms in the tech sector have actively prevented people of color and women from securing and retaining jobs in tech.

Code Nation equips students in under-resourced high schools with the skills, experiences, and connections that together create access to careers in technology. Our vision is for youth in low-income circumstances to have equitable access to a career in their local tech sector where they can build futures that enable them to fulfill their economic, social, and creative potential. We aspire to provide a model for cities on how to build bridges between their high schools and their tech sector to cultivate the next generation of local tech talent and leadership.

We have vested partners in each of our cities, sound infrastructure, and a commitment to remaining dynamic to the ever-evolving tech sector. Code Nation currently operates in New York City, the Bay Area, and Chicago.

With a volunteer teaching corps of over 300 professional web and software developers and a network of high school and company partners, Code Nation provides a multi-year, high-touch coding education and career preparation program scaffolded to serve youth throughout high school with continued support during college and into the early years of their careers. 

The Code Nation curriculum delivers increasingly advanced technical education to high school youth. When they complete the program, they have received over 180 hours in project-based coding instruction, teaching front-end coding languages like HTML, CSS, and Javascript, and commonly used libraries like React, and APIs. Students also develop a portfolio of original products, a useful asset for internship and college applications. 

Our curriculum bridges the gap between what schools teach and what the workforce demands, with a focus on industry-relevant programming languages, authentic work experiences, and soft skills like problem-solving and collaboration. Code Nation students hone technical and professional skills, work at paid internships, build a network of role models and potential employers, and develop a sense of belonging and the confidence necessary for success in the field. This robust programmatic pipeline aims to usher youth from low-income backgrounds on a path toward a high-wage career in technology, providing a potent blueprint for increasing the economic prospects of low-income youth while shaping the future of tech.

Code Nation is unique in that we are a collaborative, long-term approach to solving income inequality, committing to our students for multiple years. Peers like Girls Who Code provide valuable workshops and summer programs but do not provide over 180 hours of rigorous programming to each student as we do. 

We teach industry-relevant skills in partnership with the tech industry. Our curriculum is developed and updated to keep pace, teaching beyond theory to give students the skills that make them the most employable. We are one of only a few organizations that have provided access to paid technical internships for high school students. 

Our volunteer teaching force makes the program scalable to any tech hub while providing students with valuable instructors and professional mentors.

Code Nation provides a tiered service model where students gain exposure, experience, and employment in the tech industry. We partner with schools and companies to offer coding classes to students attending under-resourced schools. Schools qualify for our programs if ≥75% of the student population qualifies for Free-or-Reduced-Price Lunch.

YEAR 1:  INTRO TO WEB DEVELOPMENT (INT)

INT is an in-school course in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. INT offers students an opportunity for coding exposure. Classes take place twice a week at partner schools.

Outcomes: 

• Proficiency in CSS, HTML

• Exposure to Javascript, computational thinking, professional skills

YEAR 2: CODING FELLOWSHIP (FLW)

FLW is a project-based coding and professional development class hosted at partner companies. Students qualify to join FLW if they complete INT with strong attendance and proficiency. Classes take place once a week after school on-site at tech companies.

Outcomes:

• Proficiency with JavaScript, basic professional skills

• Exposure to APIs

• Portfolio website, LinkedIn profile, resume

YEAR 3: CODING FELLOWSHIP 2 (FLW2)

FLW students with strong attendance and proficiency may continue to FLW2 classes.

Outcomes:

• Proficiency with APIs, advanced professional skills

• Exposure to Computer Science vocabulary and concepts; JS-based frontend frameworks

• Continued development of portfolio website, LinkedIn profile, resume

ALUMNI

Graduating students become part of our Alumni Network, providing access to education and career opportunities.

Students graduate equipped for careers in tech. 67% of Code Nation alumni who complete our program are majoring or employed in a STEM-related field, compared to 8% historically from the communities we serve.

Currently, Code Nation is serving 1,425 students across three regions, New York City, the Bay Area, and Chicago. Next year, during the 2020-2021 school year, we plan to increase our number of students served to 1,958.

Code Nation’s five-year goal is to expand our reach and operate in five regions. Across these regions, we plan to have 5,000 students enrolled in Code Nation courses. Additionally, we aim to have 5,000 Code Nation alumni graduate from high school between FY20-FY24.

Each year, our goal is for 60% of alumni who complete two years of the program to be on track to careers in technology, pursuing a degree program or working directly in the field. 

We expect:

• 70% technical proficiency;

• 70% retention;

• 50% of first year students advance to the second year;

• 70% of second year students advance to the third year;

• 80% of seniors are college-bound.

Our top three goals include:

1. Students learn increasingly advanced technical concepts, aligned with industry standards.

2. Students access professional development and career-focused opportunities that prepare them to enter the workforce.

3. We maintain a volunteer teaching force of over 300 tech professionals and a community of 50 companies that create access to career.

In the long term, Code Nation’s goal is to position 20,000 youth for coding careers by 2025. As such, we are thoughtfully expanding to tech hubs where local youth can secure jobs in their local tech sector. We currently operate in New York City, the Bay Area, and most recently have expanded to Chicago. These locations were identified as key areas where the tech sector is rapidly growing and where populations are disproportionately excluded from the economic potential these industries bring. Tech companies also have offices in several cities, allowing Code Nation to form national partnerships more effectively, both programmatically and from a funding capacity. These deeper partnerships lead to sustainability and more significant funding and volunteering opportunities in each city.

The tech sector is fast-paced and in a constant state of change - new technologies emerge, creating new opportunities but requiring responsiveness and adaptation. As we look to prepare youth for the tech workforce, it is difficult to predict what the tech landscape will look like in ten years, and must proactively update our programs to best prepare students for careers in tech.

Additionally, expanding to new regions will always present unique needs and challenges. Each region presents different challenges, such as transportation, culture, and school district policy. Implementation and strategy may necessarily diverge within different regions.

When it comes to keeping up with the rapidly changing landscape of the tech sector, partnering with tech companies and employees is critical to ensure our methodologies reflect not only the existing but the emerging demands of the sector into the future. We engage our volunteer community to keep our curriculum up-to-date and industry-relevant; we invite a group of veteran classroom volunteers to join our Curriculum Council, where they will update our curriculum to reflect current industry trends and make content recommendations.

With regards to regional expansion, we have developed a model that has been successful in our past expansions - strong regional leadership that builds trust, thoughtfully piloting in the first year before scaling implementation, and providing low-entry opportunities for schools and the tech sector to engage with our work to begin building a pipeline of engagement. Further, building institutional relationships with school districts and the philanthropic sector is essential to scale, but can be difficult and time consuming to navigate. We aim to secure funding and forge relationships with partners in new regions prior to expansion, bolstered by extensive research on the landscape of the region in question, including potential partners in the corporate, community, and funding spheres.

Our three-year, scaffolded model was piloted in New York City in 2012 and developed over time prior to expansion to the Bay Area in 2017 and Chicago in 2019. Since reaching two schools in New York City in 2012, we are now implementing programming in 89 classrooms in three regions. As such, the project is well-defined and evaluated consistently.

The program follows best practices in scaffolded programming and culturally responsive pedagogy. In school year 2019-2020, Code Nation is serving 1,425 students in New York City, the Bay Area, including San Francisco and Oakland, and Chicago. 

Students learn the fundamentals of front-end web development and professional skills while forging connections within the tech sector through hands-on work experiences. Software engineers volunteer their time to teach the students, who then develop the professional networks, experiences, and confidence to pursue tech careers. Together with educators and tech leaders, we provide the technical learning and professional access that remove barriers to economic opportunity for young people in the communities we serve.

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Code Nation has 33 full-time and two part-time employees across our three service areas, New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago. Code Nation’s classes are taught by volunteer tech professionals who are trained throughout the year. These volunteers represent web developers who are committed to galvanizing the next generation of the tech workforce. The volunteer community is Code Nation’s greatest asset, consisting of 300 individuals in fiscal year 2020.

Founded in 2012, Code Nation has positioned over 4,500 young people to learn job-ready coding skills while gaining access to work-based learning opportunities that provide the training, confidence, and professional networks required to gain employment. With 33 full-time staff, the organization has established an outcomes-focused presence in the STEM education community in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago. Code Nation is governed by an engaged Board of Directors who supports national and regional leadership in moving forward a cohesive organizational strategy. Our team includes a 4-person development team that is implementing a national development and sustainability plan. Our robust programs department serves as a committed support system for student advancement and includes dedicated staff for innovation, curriculum, and alumni engagement. We've proven our ability to scale and secure the funding and partnerships needed for our program model.

Code Nation was awarded the PropelNext award from Edna McConnell-Clark, the MIT Solve Award, the Winburne Community Service Award from SXSW, the Teach for America Social Innovation Award, the Emerging Innovator Award from American Express, the My Voice Our City Award, and the American Dream Award from Ashoka. Code Nation has been recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion under the Obama Administration, featured in the Smithsonian, Time, Huffington Post, CBS, and Chronicle of Philanthropy. These accolades have established our clout in the field, leading to new funding, relationships, and opportunities for expansion.

Code Nation’s model is built on deep partnerships.  Our programs build bridges between under-resourced high schools eager to provide their young people with greater opportunities in tech and tech companies excited to engage with the community through employee volunteering and by offering meaningful student experiences. 

During the 2019-2020 school year, we are running our programs in partnership with 62 high school classrooms across 4 school districts.  We are also delivering our programs in partnership with After School Matters. 

Other key partners include tech companies that serve as anchor program partners. Tech companies host our Coding Fellowship onsite, host field trips for students to contextualize the skills they’re learning in the context of career opportunities, and provide volunteers that serve as instructors and role models as students consider their career paths. We currently partner with 47 companies nationally, including Etsy, Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Disney, Uber, and more.

Code Nation is a non-profit funded primarily by individuals and institutions. A small percentage of our revenue comes from program fees from schools, determined on a sliding scale.

We connect young people in under-resourced schools with the opportunities to prosper in their cities’ tech economies. Our courses are taught by web and software developers on a volunteer basis, ensuring that students have access to role models and mentors in the field.

In cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, where wealth disparity is on the rise, a focus on equity in education and workforce development could change economic futures. Companies invest hundreds of millions of dollars to improve workforce diversity, but the percent of women and people of color in the workforce has remained stagnant. Our community of 300 volunteers are mobilized by an opportunity to contribute to diversity and inclusion in tech, citing it as a primary reason they signed up. 

67% of our reported alumni who completed two or more years of Code Nation programs are currently majoring or employed in a STEM field. Over half are studying or working in Computer Science. 71% of students say Code Nation affected their future career choice. In 2018-19, we reached  approximately 1,300 students in 46 high schools in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, we are serving 1,425 students in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago.

Code Nation is a non-profit with a diversified revenue portfolio; 44% of our funding comes from individual donors, 44% from institutional funders, and 12% from program fees from schools. In 2013, our organizational budget was $33,000; in 2020, it is $6.3M.

Through strategic fundraising, creating a regional management structure, and establishing ongoing partnerships in each city, Code Nation has a sustainable income model with a runway for more funding. We see a significant market for partnership in other cities across the country and established a growth plan with McKinsey and Company in 2018. Code Nation plans to expand to two more regions —totaling five regions served— by the fiscal year 2023. 

With a full-time staff of 33, Code Nation is an established venture with the programmatic, fundraising, and operational expertise to continue growth, impact, and innovation. We are continually approached by funders, companies, and peers in STEM education to partner and collectively advance the field. Code Nation lies at the intersection of powerful spaces in education and technology, positioning us to implement the program with fidelity across the country while remaining nimble and creative in responding to change. 

We see a strong alignment between Code Nation's mission and the Digital Workforce Challenge's goal to support traditionally underserved populations to have access to opportunity and fully participate in the technology-enabled and digitally literate workforces of the future. 

Through creative applications of technology, a project-based approach, and a curriculum that is responsive to youth culture, we cultivate students' passions as producers, not just users of technology. We equip students with the tools to shape the future of technology and, in turn, our world. Furthermore, by focusing our work specifically on youth in low-income circumstances, we are unleashing a tremendous amount of creative potential that otherwise wouldn't have access to the tech field.

We are grateful to be invited to participate in the Digital Workforce Challenge and for the opportunity to be awarded $100,000 —a financial contribution that would support Code Nation's programs and desired expansion. Additionally, we are excited to continue our meaningful collaboration and relationships with MIT Solve, ServiceNow, and the other incredible organizations within your team's portfolio.

Community partnerships allow us to expand our reach; we are always excited to build new relationships with school & company partners to deliver our programs.

Code Nation is always working to expand our already robust community of tech-driven companies, tech and education professionals, and community partners. Funding partners that we would be thrilled to collaborate with include the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Tipping Point Community Foundation, the Accenture Foundation, and the Citadel Foundation. We are also always looking to partner with new schools in the regions we serve; we have been actively exploring an expansion to the South Bay area, and would be incredibly excited to forge new relationships with the San Jose Unified School District, East Side Union High School District, and the Ravenswood City School District. Additionally, we are working to build relationships with tech companies operating locally in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Chicago, such as Slack, LinkedIn, PayPal, Stripe, Twitter, and Facebook.