In 2024, 32.9% of undergraduate students dropped out of college. The major with the largest drop out rate was computer science with 10.7%. Our free text-based curriculum project addresses gaps that enable students to learn computer science concepts up to the university level. Since 2018, the globally available project has worked with professors, teachers, and content developers to create multiple courses, including a short introductory course, the flagship CS1 year-long course, a college level course, and more. Courses are offered through an online platform that is web-based and free to use by teachers in K-12 classrooms worldwide. The goal is to bridge knowledge from block-based curriculum to text-based college-level courses. In addition, our college-level course allows students to earn college credit for their work through an end-of-course exam proctored by teachers in their schools. Currently in the first year post-pilot, this college-level course has allowed students to earn college credit that is recognized at universities across the United States and beyond. Students receive a transcript from our university with 4 credit hours/12 units. The goal is to ensure teachers and students have access to a curriculum that bridges the gap between K-12 and college instruction.

The outreach project has served over 440,000 students and 13,000 teachers worldwide. The curriculum is also being translated to Spanish and has pilots in various Latin American countries including Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Puerto Rico, and Colombia.