Collaborative Research: CAFECS: AP CSP Access for All

学习伙伴关系、德保罗大学和芝加哥公立学校(CPS)将合作，为非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔学生增加接触AP计算机科学原理(AP CSP)并取得成功的机会，他们传统上在计算机科学领域，特别是在AP计算机科学课程中的代表性不足。每年，CPS大约有14,000名学生以一年的高中计算机科学学分毕业，以满足该学区的计算机科学毕业要求。这一成就是芝加哥计算机科学研究-实践公平联盟十多年来工作的顶峰，该联盟包括CPS教师、CPS管理人员、大学计算机科学教员和教育研究人员。然而，获得高级计算机科学课程，特别是高级计算机科学课程的机会仍然有限，导致在获得机会和成果方面存在严重的种族和族裔差异。该项目特别关注非裔美国人和西班牙裔学生，目标是确保每所CPS高中都提供AP CSP，课程的入学人数反映了每所学校的人口统计数据，AP考试的成功程度与种族、民族和性别相当。除了解决计算机科学教育中的不平等和支持教师专业发展之外，该项目最终将导致发展一支更强大、更多样化的计算劳动力队伍，从而提高美国的经济竞争力。该项目将提供支持系统，以应对为所有学生和教师在AP CSP中取得成功做好准备所固有的挑战，并确保使用与文化相适应的教学法教授该课程。越来越多的AP CSP新教师在计算机科学方面没有深厚的背景，该项目将提供特定内容的专业发展和持续的指导。教师将通过探索与计算机科学活动和专业发展计划的联系来实施与文化相适应的教学实践。这些实践对于解决有色人种学生在课程结果上的差距尤其重要，他们是本项目的重点。该项目将惠及大约75名教师，这将足以在目前没有提供AP CSP的每所学校至少配备一名CSP教师。因此，参加AP CPS的学生人数将在三年内翻一番，从大约2000人增加到4000人，增加的主要是社区学校的学生，他们认为自己是黑人或西班牙裔。该项目将从事假设驱动的研究，以确定预测、促进或阻碍AP CSP在社区学校实施的因素，并创建一个战略框架，以支持地区范围内扩大AP CSP的努力。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。

The Learning Partnership, DePaul University, and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will collaborate to increase access to and success in AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP), for African American and Hispanic students, who are traditionally underrepresented in computer science and specifically in AP computer science courses. Each year, about 14,000 students in CPS graduate with one year of high school computer science credit in fulfillment of the district’s computer science graduation requirement. This accomplishment was the culmination of over a decade of work by the Chicago Alliance For Equity in Computer Science research-practice partnership, which includes CPS teachers, CPS administrators, university computer science faculty, and educational researchers. However, access to advanced computer science courses, specifically AP CSP, remains limited, resulting in significant racial and ethnic disparities in access and outcomes. With a specific focus on African American and Hispanic students, the goal of this project is to ensure that every CPS high school offers AP CSP, that enrollment in the course reflects the demographics of each school, and success on the AP exam is equivalent by race, ethnicity, and gender. In addition to addressing inequity in computer science education and supporting teacher professional development, the project will ultimately lead to the development of a stronger and more diverse computing workforce that will enhance U.S. economic competitiveness.The project will provide systems of support to address the challenges inherent in preparing all students and teachers for success in AP CSP and ensure the course is taught using culturally responsive pedagogy. An increasing proportion of new AP CSP teachers do not have a deep background in computer science, and this project will provide content-specific professional development and ongoing coaching. Teachers will be scaffolded in implementing culturally responsive teaching practices through the Exploring Connections to Computer Science activities and professional development program. These practices are especially important for addressing gaps in course outcomes experienced by students of color who are the focus of this project. The project will reach approximately 75 teachers, which would be sufficient to have at least one CSP teacher in every school that does not currently offer AP CSP. As a result, the number of students taking AP CPS should double from roughly 2000 to 4000 students within three years with the increase coming primarily from students at neighborhood schools who identify as Black or Hispanic. The project will engage in hypothesis-driven research to identify factors that predict, facilitate or hinder implementation of AP CSP in neighborhood schools and create a framework of strategies to support the district-wide effort to expand AP CSP.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.