Computer Science for Oregon

Portland State University, Portland OR

Investigators

Abstract

Portland State University, in partnership with the University of Oregon and Tigard Tualatin School District, proposes a project--Computer Science (CS) for Oregon--that aims to reboot high school CS education in Oregon with a statewide initiative to provide more equitable access and participation in high school computer science courses. The project will target schools with significant populations of students under-served by Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education in urban, suburban, and rural environments. It will engage counselors, administrators, and teachers in a Research-Practitioner Partnership. CS for Oregon will identify and investigate the problems of practice that arise when introducing the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum statewide. Through this award, the proposers seek to shift the state strategy for computer science education from CS in every district to CS for every student. The project team brings together the expertise of a computer science researcher and university administrator, an education researcher focused on inclusive computer science curriculum development, and a high school teacher who has been engaged statewide efforts to improve STEM education. This project builds on significant state investment in CS teacher professional development. It will prepare teachers with computer science conceptual knowledge, inquiry-based instructional skills, and culturally responsive pedagogy. It will institutionalize CS and Computational Thinking (CT) education by examining the key barriers and opportunities for CS education at the school, district, regional, and state levels. The project will also provide Counselors for Computing workshops to prepare counselors and administrators on strategies to recruit historically underrepresented students to ECS. In addition, the project will develop curriculum for teacher preparation programs at the University of Oregon and Portland State University that incorporates CT into existing education technology courses taken by pre-service teachers. Together these efforts can inform other states seeking to identify whole-school support strategies to broaden participation in computing.