EAGER: Building CT Readiness: An EAGER Proposal to Refine and Study a Framework for Integrating Computational Thinking Across Subjects in High-Poverty Elementary Schools

Education Development Center, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

Education Development Center (EDC) and its partners at the Research Alliance for NYC (New York City) Schools and Dr. Maya Israel of the University of Illinois propose an eighteen-month EAGER grant for research and development in the area of computational thinking (CT) integration in elementary education. The primary purpose of the proposed work is for the research team to collaborate over 12 months with a group of 18 geographically dispersed school principals, teachers, evaluators, and subject-matter experts to iteratively refine an existing draft framework, self-diagnostic tool, and rubric for computational thinking integration across multiple school subjects. Subsequently, we will pilot test the revised tools over three months in six elementary schools in high-poverty areas in three states (New York, Illinois, and Florida) to investigate whether there is promising evidence that systematic use of these resources is associated with the successful integration of CT across elementary school curricula. These tools are meant to help high-poverty (and eventually all) schools clarify their definitions of CT and CT integration; to articulate their visions and plans for CT implementation; and to monitor the effectiveness of teacher professional development in CT instruction. 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.