Collaborative Research: CS4SF: A Scalable Model for Preparing High School Teachers to Provide Rigorous, Inclusive Computer Science Instruction

San Francisco State University, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

San Francisco State University (SFSU) and the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) propose a Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to address the lack of qualified computer science (CS) teachers at the high school level and the lack of diversity among high school students in CS courses. The RPP will develop and implement CS4SF, an innovative and scalable program for the professional development (PD) and ongoing support of high school CS teachers, supplying them with the knowledge and skills they need to teach this in-demand subject in a more rigorous manner while engaging a broader swath of students. CSforAll will implement a three-part program. Firstly, a one-week summer professional development course will immerse high school teachers in CS knowledge and evidence-based, inclusive pedagogical strategies. Secondly, a Community of Practice will meet monthly to provide teachers with their own inclusive learning community, offering support throughout the year and the opportunity to regularly interact with SFSU CS professors. Thirdly, teaching assistants, selected from the most talented CS undergraduates at SFSU, will assist teachers in the classroom for 4 to 5 hours a week, deepening their own CS knowledge as they collect student-generated ideas for culturally relevant classroom projects. For this work, SFSU and SFUSD have jointly developed an initial set of research questions: Does the CS4SF model improve high school teachers' mastery of CS concepts and pedagogy, so that they can teach beyond the curriculum and truly engage their students? Does the CS4SF model improve the engagement of female and other students from other underrepresented groups in high school CS courses? What is the potential for sustainability and scalability of the CS4SF model? The strategies identified will be of broad interest as the problems that SFUSD faces today are similar to those faced by many other school districts as they try to ramp up their CS offerings. Over the course of this grant, the RPP will reach 100 teachers, 72 teaching assistants, and 5,000+ high school students. 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.