Professor Dr. Jane Margolis

Biography

Jane Margolis is a Senior Researcher at UCLA School of Education and Information Studies, with a focus on systemic segregation and inequality in education. Since 1994, her work has centered on computer science education and how segregation and inequality are replicated within this field. Margolis is the lead author of the award-winning books 'Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing' (MIT Press, 2002), which examines the gender gap in computer science at the collegiate level, and 'Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing' (MIT Press, 2008, 2017), which addresses the low representation of African-Americans, Latinos, and women in high school computer science courses. She has played a pivotal role in establishing long-lasting partnerships with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the country, to broaden participation in computing. Margolis has served as a national leader and principal investigator on major NSF grants aimed at democratizing computer science education. Her current work emphasizes elevating the voices that support the identity, agency, and engagement of high school students who are traditionally marginalized in computer science education, particularly in collaborations that involve students from LAUSD and the Mississippi Delta. In 2016, she was honored as an Obama White House Champion of Change for her contributions to broadening participation in computing.

Research Interests