PECSI: Pathways for Equitable Computer Science Instruction

根据宾夕法尼亚州州长沃尔夫最近的一份报告，该州未来十年71%的新工作岗位将需要计算机科学技能。因此，计算机科学是费城大都市区K-12学生的一个重要知识领域，在一个家庭收入中位数低于全国平均水平25%、贫困率是全国平均水平两倍的地区，通过快速增长和高薪职业为经济流动提供机会。坦普尔大学科学与技术学院和蒙哥马利县中级单位的这一合作伙伴关系将使高中教师做好准备，教授公平和包容的计算机科学课程，通过专业发展机会支持现有的计算机科学教师，并为教师提供获得专业认证的机会。该项目邀请坦普尔大学科学与技术学院和蒙哥马利县中级单位开发和实施一个综合的、可扩展的教育计划，以建设在中学公平教授计算机科学(CS)的能力。在合作开发专业发展项目以改善STEM教学的历史基础上，合作伙伴在招聘、聘用和支持从业者(教师、校长、地区行政当局和学生)方面建立了关系和信任，并建立了广泛和全面的联系。新的努力解决了实践中的三个问题：缺乏准备教授CS并强调公平和包容性设计的高中教师，该地区的在职教师缺乏持续接受CS内容知识教育的机会和专业认证的机会。该课程的课程元素旨在与CS K12框架保持一致，并使教师为Praxis II CS考试做好准备，这将导致宾夕法尼亚州教授CS的二级认证。在整个过程中，教师参与旨在发展包容性教学法的知识和实践应用的机会，重点是基于探究的、以平等为重点的框架和通用学习设计框架，以制定中学CS课程计划和材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

According to a recent report from Pennsylvania Governor Wolf, 71% of the state’s new jobs over the next ten years will require computer science skills. Computer science is therefore an important knowledge area for K-12 students in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, providing opportunities to economic mobility through fast-growing and high-paying occupations in a region where the median family income is 25% lower than the national average and the poverty rate is double that of the national average. This partnership between Temple University’s College of Science and Technology and the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit will prepare high school teachers to teach equitable and inclusive computer science classes, support current computer science teachers through professional development opportunities, and provide opportunities for teachers to receive professional certification. This project engages Temple University’s College of Science and Technology and the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit to develop and implement an integrated, scalable educational program to build capacity for equitable computer science (CS) instruction in secondary schools. Building on a history of collaborative development of professional development programs to improve STEM teaching, the partners have established relations and trust as well as extensive and comprehensive reach with respect to recruiting, engaging, and supporting practitioners (teachers, principals, district administrations, and students). The new effort addresses three problems of practice: shortage of high school teachers prepared to teach CS with an emphasis on equity and inclusive design, in-service teachers in the district lack opportunities for sustained education in CS content knowledge and opportunities for professional certification. The curricular elements of the pathway are designed to align with the CS K12 framework and prepare teachers for the Praxis II CS exam, which leads to a secondary certification for teaching CS in the state of Pennsylvania. Throughout the pathway, teachers engage in opportunities designed to develop knowledge and practice application of inclusive pedagogy, with an emphasis on inquiry-based, equity-focused frameworks and the Universal Design for Learning framework for developing curricular plans and materials to teach CS in secondary schools.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.