CS for Appalachia: A Research-Practice Partnership for Integrating Computer Science into East Tennessee Schools

东田纳西州是阿巴拉契亚中心的一个地区，其文化根源深厚，在为学生提供丰富的计算机科学（CS）学习体验方面面临着持续的挑战。注意学生参与CS思想和实践的机会是紧迫和及时的，因为田纳西州的新CS标准将于2019年秋季实施。为了满足东田纳西州阿巴拉契亚学生的需求，该项目为教师提供专业发展（PD），以规划和教授对学生及其社区做出反应的CS策略。该项目采用了研究人员，教师和管理人员之间的研究实践伙伴关系，以解决与教学CS相关的挑战，如教师和技术基础设施获得高质量的专业学习。这项合作工作汇集了田纳西大学，田纳西州东部三个农村学区和主要社区组织。建立和加强这种伙伴关系，提高学习和终身成果的学生，通过增加他们的机会，从事与CS在小学年级。对于利益相关者以及研究人员，该项目导致农村学区如何创造机会，让学生有意义地参与CS和一个强大的伙伴关系，这将提高CS教育在阿巴拉契亚在未来几年的深入了解。该项目的总体目标是加强，扩大和正规化现有的合作，通过工作会议，重点是社区学习，基本的CS思想，知识和实践周围的文化相关的教学法，和一个共同的愿景。该项目为K-5教师开发CS标准对齐的专业发展，以（1）让学生参与与阿巴拉契亚文化和生活经验相关的活动，（2）培养学生对CS的兴趣和理解以及他们直接社区以外的问题。研究活动包括探索与CS和CS教学相关的教师身份发展，以及研究教师学习作为他们参与PD的产品。评价的重点是通过向领导小组提供形成性和总结性反馈，努力加强研究与实践的伙伴关系。通过在会议、研讨会和出版物上的演讲，与田纳西州和全国的CS教育界分享成果。这种合作提供了新的见解，鼓励发展系统的方法来解决最孤立的学区所面临的一些最持久的STEM教育问题。该项目由CS for All计划资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

East Tennessee is a region in the heart of Appalachia marked by deep cultural roots and persistent challenges to providing students with substantial computer science (CS) learning experiences. Attention to opportunities for students to engage with CS ideas and practices is urgent and timely in light of new CS standards for the State of Tennessee being implemented in the Fall of 2019. To address the needs of students in East Tennessee Appalachia, this project provides professional development (PD) for teachers to plan for and teach CS strategies that are responsive to students and their communities. This project employs a research-practice partnership among researchers, teachers and administrators to address challenges related to teaching CS, such as access to high-quality professional learning for teachers and technical infrastructure. This collaborative work brings together the University of Tennessee, three rural East Tennessee school districts, and key community organizations. Building and strengthening this partnership enhances learning and lifelong outcomes for students by increasing their opportunities to engage with CS in the elementary grades. For stakeholders as well as researchers, the project leads to an enhanced understanding of how rural school districts create opportunities for students to engage meaningfully with CS and to a strong partnership that will enhance CS education in Appalachia in the years to come. This project's overarching goal is to strengthen, broaden and formalize existing collaborations through work sessions focused upon community learning, foundational CS ideas, knowledge and practice around culturally relevant pedagogy, and a shared vision. The project develops CS standards-aligned professional development for K-5 teachers to (1) engage students in activities that connect with Appalachian culture and lived experiences and (2) cultivate students' interests in and understanding of CS and issues beyond their immediate communities. Research activities involve exploring teacher identity development related to CS and teaching CS, as well as studying teacher learning as a product of their involvement in the PD. Evaluation focuses on efforts to strengthen the research-practice partnership by providing formative and summative feedback to the leadership group. Results are shared with the CS education community across Tennessee and the nation through presentations at conferences and workshops and publications. This collaboration provides new insights for encouraging development of systematic approaches to some of the most persistent STEM education issues faced by the most isolated school districts. This project is funded by the CS for All program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.