Building Capacity in Computer Science Education and Student Near Peer Classroom Mentorship

计算已经成为专业科学、工程和数学学科的标准，甚至可以将跨领域的人联系起来进行跨学科的工作。然而，尽管数十年来一直在努力扩大参与范围，有色人种社区在计算机科学领域的代表性仍然不足。造成这种情况的原因非常复杂。除了不公平的学习机会之外，计算机科学教育通常假设要同化该学科的文化和实践，而不考虑学生的社会、文化和智力资源。这种缺陷框架，就好像人们的生活对计算机科学没有任何贡献一样，进一步边缘化了那些在计算机领域已经被低估的群体的学生。这个来自年轻人项目公司的项目旨在通过一个专业发展项目来解决这些问题，该项目设计了与文化相关的教学法，并将计算机科学融入数学课堂。这项工作建立在由YPP的代数项目和Bootstrap的综合课程策略开发的已建立的近同伴模型的基础上。该项目有可能在波士顿公立学校建立计算机科学教学能力，并测试一种计算机科学教学模式，这种模式可以满足来自计算机领域代表性不足的群体的学生的需求。计算机科学教育能力建设和学生近同伴课堂指导是青年项目（YPP）、波士顿公立学校（BPS）、Bootstrap和波士顿大学之间的研究-实践伙伴关系（RPP）合作项目。它旨在通过设计、评估和迭代一个专业发展模型来增加高中计算机科学教师的数量，该模型使用与文化相关的教学法并将其整合到数学课堂中。该项目的目标是为BPS教师提供专业发展，使用YPP，代数项目和Bootstrap开发的课堂教学模式，并将CS整合到现有的9年级数学课堂中。该项目承诺建立BPS的计算机科学教学能力，并测试一种响应计算机科学中代表性不足的种族/族裔学生需求的计算机科学（CS）教学模式。更大的容量将包括为目前在高中教授代数或其他入门级数学课程的BPS教师提供学习机会，以及为与课堂教师一起作为学习者和教育者的大学生提供学习机会。大学生的注入、YPP的卓越模式和基于话语的课程支持一种与文化相关的计算机科学学习方法，可以为目前没有在BPS接受计算机科学教育的目标学生群体提供切入点。为了培养教师的计算机科学教学和领导能力，该项目将建立一个有效的研究实践伙伴关系，其中包括一个基于设计的实施研究过程，重点关注教师专业学习机会的设计和影响。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。

Computation has become standard within professional scientific, engineering, and mathematical disciplines, even serving to connect people across fields for interdisciplinary work. Yet despite decades-long efforts to broaden participation, the underrepresentation of people from communities of color persists in computer science. The reasons for this are profoundly complex. In addition to inequitable access to learning opportunities, computer science education often assumes assimilation to the culture and practices of the discipline, without considering students’ social, cultural, and intellectual resources. This deficit framing, as if people’s lives have nothing to offer computer science, serves to further marginalize students from groups already underrepresented in computing. This project from the Young People’s Project, Inc. aims to address these issues through a professional development program designed on culturally relevant pedagogy and integration of computer science into mathematics classrooms. This work builds on an established near-peer model developed by YPP’s Algebra Project and the integrative curricular strategy of Bootstrap. The project has the potential to build the computer science teaching capacity in Boston Public Schools, and to test a model of computer science teaching that is responsive to the needs of students from groups underrepresented in computing.Building Capacity in Computer Science Education and Student Near Peer Classroom Mentorship is a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) collaboration between The Young People’s Project (YPP), Boston Public Schools (BPS), Bootstrap, and Boston University. It aims to increase the number of high school computer science teachers by designing, evaluating, and iterating on a professional development model that uses culturally relevant pedagogy and integration into mathematics classrooms. The goal of this project is to provide professional development for BPS teachers that uses a classroom model of instruction developed by YPP, the Algebra Project, and Bootstrap and integrates CS into existing 9th grade mathematics classrooms. The project promises to build the computer science teaching capacity in BPS, and to test a model of computer science (CS) teaching that is responsive to the needs of students from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in CS. Greater capacity will include providing learning opportunities for BPS teachers currently teaching Algebra or other entry level mathematics courses in high schools as well as an infusion of college students who work as learners and educators alongside classroom teachers. The infusion of college students, YPP’s Model of Excellence, and a discourse-based curriculum supports a culturally relevant approach to CS learning that can provide entry points for a target population of students not currently offered computer science education in BPS. To develop teachers’ capacity for CS teaching and leadership, the project will build an effective research practice partnership that includes a designed based implementation research process focused on the design and impact of the professional learning opportunity for teachers.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.