Equitable Computer Science Implementation in All New York City (NYC) Schools

Education Development Center, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Education Development Center (EDC) and the New York City (NYC) Department of Education (NYCDOE) propose a research-practice partnership (RPP) to enhance and study the implementation of Advanced Placement® Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) courses in low-performing NYC high schools. This partnership will build on the prior Beauty and Joy of Computing in New York City project, a partnership in which EDC and the University of California Berkeley created, tested, and refined the Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) high school AP CSP course. In that project, NYCDOE partnered with EDC and UCB to recruit and train more than 100 BJC teachers from a representative set of NYC high schools. This new project focuses more intentionally on assisting low-performing NYC schools in implementing and sustaining engaging AP CSP courses. The proposed RPP will working with 21 NYC high schools and at least 42 high school teachers to design and test supports including curriculum adaptations, differentiation of professional development, and school-level supports that address the specific needs of low-performing schools. The initial research questions are: 1) What teacher supports promote implementation of AP CSP in low-performing NYC schools? 2) What school supports promote implementation of AP CSP in low-performing NYC schools? 3)What is the relationship between the enhanced teacher and school supports and teacher outcomes of interest? School outcomes of interest? Student outcomes of interest? Iteratively refining these questions in collaboration with the teacher practitioners, the project will contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and remediations that such schools face in implementing AP CSP courses and fostering success in computer science for all 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.