CodeRVA, central Virginia’s newest regional magnet school, is heading into its second year with almost double the students and more than triple the employees.
The public school draws students from 13 localities with a focus on computer-science.
Principle Michael Bolling says their other top priority is inclusion and diversity. Admission isn’t merit based, but a lottery. The lottery is controlled for things like race and gender -- so the resulting student body mirrors the demographics of the region.
“When we prepare these students for the workforce we’re preparing them for a workforce that doesn’t necessarily just look like their neighborhood,” Bolling says. “We’re preparing them to work with all types of people from all walks of life.”
For instance, men are traditionally over-represented in computer science fields. But at CodeRVA the almost 200-student body population will be 46-percent female. It’s also 37-percent African-American and 9-percent Hispanic.
CodeRVA’s second year begins in early September.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.