Building Capacity in Support of the Development of Computer Science Master Teachers for Rural South Georgia

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This project aims to build the capacity for increasing the number of computer science master teachers in rural Georgia. The shortage of computer science instruction in rural schools is a serious gap in the STEM education pipeline. To help fill this gap, this project seeks to define the skills and knowledge that teachers need so they can provide students with effective computer science learning experiences. It will also identify local resources that can help achieve this goal. In addition, it will collect data about challenges that must be overcome to increase the number and diversity of middle- and high-school computer science teachers. The leadership potential of rural, high-need school systems will also be assessed. The project intends to use the results of this capacity building project to design a computer science master teacher endorsement track within an existing Master of Education degree program. This project at Mercer University includes partnerships with Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and these rural county school districts: Ben Hill, Bleckley, Evans, Jeff Davis, Tattnall, Treutlen, and Wheeler. Additional partners are Rural Education Service Agencies (RESA): Coastal Plains RESA, Heart of Georgia RESA, and Okefenokee RESA. Project goals include the following: 1. Conduct a needs assessment to determine the infrastructure needed to support computer science instruction in rural school systems. The needs assessment will also collect data about the interest among exemplary and certified grades 6-12 STEM teachers to pursue computer science teaching and leadership opportunities. 2. Investigate recruitment, preparation, and support processes pertinent to computer science teaching and leadership. 3. Design a computer science master teacher endorsement track within an existing Master of Education degree program. This endorsement track will be based on understandings developed through activities aligned with the project’s first two project goals. Data will be collected via interviews and publicly available documents. The data will be analyzed using grounded theory to identify the infrastructure needed to support computer science teacher and leader development. The data analysis also aims to determine teacher interest and recruitment capacity for a computer science teacher leader endorsement program, computer science teacher leader preparation, and ongoing support. The intellectual merit of the project resides in the process of evidence-based decision making that will be used to design a model computer science teacher endorsement track. The project’s broader impacts include its potential to increase computer science learning opportunities for students in South Georgia rural, high-need school systems. Dissemination of project findings will occur via: paper presentations at state and national conferences; reports to the state RESA directors and school superintendents; a written summary sent to state legislators, the State Superintendent of Education, and the Offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor; and manuscripts submitted to journals for publication. This Capacity Building project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.