For an all-girl coding class at Petsworth Elementary School, education and empowerment go hand-in-hand. 

From behind the screens of their tablets, the girls of Sharon Carino’s coding class are learning block coding and applying it to teach robots how to move, performs basic tasks, and even play the xylophone.

The block coding used by the students uses linear blocks of commands to create animations. The processes used by the students mimic the structure of more advanced computer coding.

There have been similar all-male coding classes offered previously; however, this course was for female students.

Carino spoke previously at a school board meeting regarding the program and identified it as one of the ways to address the gender disparity present in many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, only 35 percent of students enrolled in studies in the STEM field and 28 p...