Strength Across Schools Partnership to Teach Empowering Computational Thinking and Computer Science in Middle School English Language Arts Classrooms

跨学校研究-实践合作伙伴关系（RPP）是对现有的由匹兹堡大学、学区和地区教育组织组成的所有研究-实践合作伙伴关系（RPP）团队的扩展，正在创建创新的课程、教学实践和相关的教师专业发展，以将计算思维（CT）和计算机科学（CS）教学整合到中学英语语言艺术（ELA）中。中学是计算机科学/计算机科学发展的关键时期，因为学生，特别是女孩、黑人和拉丁裔学生，在五年级时开始选择退出STEM经验，尤其是计算机科学教育。此外，缺乏资金、教师短缺以及获得教师专业发展的机会也给学校提供CT/CS教学带来了挑战。将计算机科学/计算机科学整合到其他学科领域为在资源不足的中学扩大计算机科学教学提供了一种解决方案。虽然ELA可能不是最可能被视为CS整合的主题，但读写学者越来越多地呼吁以各种方式将CT/CS整合到ELA教学中。本项目以本研究为基础，合作开发并迭代完善以正义为中心的课程（Smythe, 2011），赋予学生权力，并在有意义的背景下整合CT/CS和ELA学习目标。该项目的教学材料将有两个目标：(a)建立和重视学生不同的观点、兴趣和身份；(b)研究CT/CS的社会、文化和伦理方面。该合作伙伴关系还侧重于为CT/CS课程的课堂实施开发多种形式的ELA教师支持，包括宾夕法尼亚州西部地区和教师的区域专业学习网络，以提供持续的专业发展和课堂教师支持。该项目将调查专业学习网络和课堂支持如何帮助ELA教师成功制定CT/CS课程，以及课程如何塑造CT/CS知识、计算身份和数字赋权，以帮助那些在CS中历史上代表性不足的学生。本项目探讨了如何将CT和CS整合到中学ELA中，ELA教师需要哪些支持来制定这一指导，以及这一指导如何塑造CT/CS知识、计算身份和在CS中历史上代表性不足的学生的数字赋权。作为RPP，调查是与参与的教师和学区合作进行的。定性和定量数据衡量了CT/CS专业发展对ELA教师在课堂上整合CT/CS的影响，以及以正义为中心的CT/CS课程如何塑造女性、黑人和拉丁裔学生的CT/CS知识、计算身份和数字赋权。数据分析对反复的专业发展和课程修订做出了形式上的贡献，并在几个方面对学术做出了贡献。首先，本研究探讨了各种教师教学支持如何促进以公正为中心的CT/CS在中学语文教育课堂的实施。其次，该项目为CT/CS教学提供了文化响应方法，旨在提高女性、黑人和拉丁裔学生的CS身份、参与度和知识/技能。第三，它有助于了解如何使CS对代表性不足的学生更具吸引力和可及性。最后，该项目促进了形成区域和多样化研究实践伙伴关系的战略知识，特别是在大规模方面。该项目的最终目标是提供基于研究的策略，以支持美国各地的扫盲教育者和课程开发者将CT/CS整合到preK-12的ELA课程中。该项目由CS for All: Research and RPPs项目资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The Strength Across Schools Research-to-Practice Partnership (RPP), expanding an existing CS for All Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) team of University of Pittsburgh, school districts, and regional educational organizations, is creating innovative curricula, instructional practices, and related teacher professional development for integrating computational thinking (CT) and computer science (CS) instruction into middle school English Language Arts (ELA). Middle school is a critical time for CT/CS development because students, particularly girls and Black and Latinx students, begin to opt out of STEM experiences by grade five, especially in CS education. Also, lack of funding, teacher shortages, and access to teacher professional development create challenges to schools for offering CT/CS instruction. Integrating CT/CS into other subject areas provides one solution to expanding CS instruction in under-resourced middle schools. Although ELA may not be viewed as the most likely subject for CS integration, literacy scholars have increasingly called for integrating CT/CS into ELA instruction in various ways. This project builds upon this research to collaboratively develop and iteratively refine a justice-focused (Smythe, 2011) curriculum that empowers students and integrates CT/CS and ELA learning goals within meaningful contexts. The project instructional materials will be developed with two objectives: (a) to build on and value students' diverse perspectives, interests, and identities and (b) to examine the social, cultural, and ethical aspects of CT/CS. The partnership also focuses on developing multiple forms of ELA teacher support for the classroom implementation of the CT/CS curriculum, including a regional Professional Learning Network of districts and teachers in Western Pennsylvania to provide ongoing professional development and classroom-based teacher supports. The project will investigate how the Professional Learning Network and classroom supports help ELA teachers enact the CT/CS curriculum successfully and how the curriculum shapes the CT/CS knowledge, computational identities, and digital empowerment of students historically underrepresented in CS.This project investigates how CT and CS can be integrated into middle school ELA, the supports ELA teachers need to enact this instruction, and how this instruction shapes the CT/CS knowledge, computational identities, and digital empowerment of students historically underrepresented in CS. As an RPP, the investigation is conducted collaboratively with participating teachers and school districts. Both qualitative and quantitative data measure the impact of the CT/CS professional development on ELA teachers' integration of CT/CS in their classrooms and how justice-focused CT/CS curriculum shapes female, Black and Latinx students' CT/CS knowledge, computational identities and digital empowerment. Data analysis formatively contributes to iterative professional development and curriculum revisions and also contributes to scholarship in several ways. First, it investigates how various teacher instructional supports enhance the implementation of justice-focused CT/CS in middle school ELA classrooms. Second, the project informs culturally responsive approaches to CT/CS instruction, aiming to increase female, Black, and Latinx students' CS identity, engagement, and knowledge/skills. Third, it contributes to knowledge on making CS more inviting and accessible to underrepresented students. Finally, the project advances knowledge of strategies for forming regional and diverse research-practice partnerships, particularly in terms of substantial scaling. The project's ultimate goal is to provide research-based strategies for supporting literacy educators and curriculum developers across the US to integrate CT/CS into preK-12 ELA classes. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs 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.