SCRIPT Crew TN: Impacts of State-Wide SCRIPT on CS Education Pathways in TN

The New York City Foundation For Computer Science Education, Armonk NY

Investigators

Abstract

As the number of computer science opportunities rapidly increases in schools across the US, there is a growing recognition that teacher and student outcomes are dependent upon the policy environments which they inhabit. Tennessee has recently enacted a series of policy initiatives that poise the state to implement computer science programs at scale in K-12 schools. However, there is a need for a clear definition of what high quality computer science education looks like to create standards aligned pathways for students and generate buy-in from school leaders. This partnership between CSforAll and CodeCrew will connect the state level actions with school and district level plans and data, focusing explicitly on the pathways designed and experienced by students as they move through K-12 programs. The team will also design teacher pathways with a focus on initial teacher preparation as well as the development of advanced teacher knowledge. This researcher-practitioner partnership will connect recent implementation actions in the state of TN with school and district level plans and data. The partnership will explore the SCRIPT (Strategic CSforALL Resource and Implementation Toolkit) for implementation in TN school districts. The implementation activities seek to understand how strategic planning using SCRIPT materials, routines, and data tools impact buy-in, decision making, and actions taken at the school district level in TN, and the impacts, both direct and indirect, of these resources on the capacity, access, participation, and experience of historically marginalized or underrepresented populations in standards aligned computer science pathways from K-12. 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.