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QUALITY EDUCATION FOR MINORITIES NETWORK

Mercy Mugo, Legand Burge

itoldson@qem.org

While Black people comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, they represent only 7 percent of the computing workforce. Even more unsettling, of the many computational occupations, the majority of that 7 percent are ?computer support specialists.? HBCUs are uniquely positioned to increase the number and percentage of Black people in the computing workforce. Of the 100 HBCUs that qualify for federal support, 11 are among the top 100 postsecondary institutions for graduating Black students in Computer Sciences and Math. Moreover, the educational outcomes for underrepresented students in college often depend on the instruction they received in high school. Therefore, the Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network in partnership with L.L. Burge and Associates, LLC will leverage HBCUs to facilitate a series of professional development trainings for high school CS teachers in districts that are diverse socially, culturally, and economically. This will not only increase the number of high school teachers qualified to teach CS courses, but will also build a community of educators, HBCU CS departments, and inclusive CS curriculum developers. <br/><br/>The QEM Network in partnership with L.L. Burge and Associates, LLC will plan and conduct a series of culturally responsive Exploring Computer Science (ECS) PD trainings for teachers in SCED school districts. The project builds upon a previous NSF-funded project, CS 10K: The Partnership for Early Engagement in Computer Science High School (PEECS-HS) Program: Exposing Students to Computer Science in Washington, DC Public Schools project, which provided professional development to in-service teachers in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). The current project will position two HBCUs (Florida Memorial University and Kentucky State University) as central to a strategy that will provide a deeper context for the training and contribute to long-term community building with adjacent school districts. The two HBCUs have ABET accredited computer science programs and state accredited teacher education programs. The project goals are to: (1) Position HBCUs as a strategic resource for SCED school districts to receive high quality, socially conscious CS PD for their high school teachers; (2) Use ECS to increase the number of high school teachers in SCED school districts with the training and credentials necessary to teach CS courses and prepare high school students to pass CS AP exams; and (3) Build a community of<br/>practice/change whereby newly credentialed CS teachers in SCED districts can form long-term reciprocal bonds with other educators from their districts, HBCU CS departments and the ECS network.<br/><br/>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.

Ryoko Yamaguchi

ryreed@uncg.edu

1111 Spring Garden Street

BRIGHT-CS PD (Building Student Retention through Individuated Guided coHort Training in Computer Science Professional Development) a CS for All High School strand Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) submitted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). BRIGHT-CS PD will provide math and science teachers access to and support for rigorous CS learning. The RPP will collaboratively create robust professional development (PD) materials for high school teachers to improve school and classroom practices to better support and broaden participation of black girls in computer science.<br/><br/>This project builds on the BRIGHT-CS middle school student and school projects. Lessons learned from these projects indicate that robust PD materials for teachers are critical to systemically broadening the participation of black girls in CS. The proposed RPP will work with math and science teachers to provide access and support as the teachers participate in high-quality, extant CS instruction via Harvard University?s CS50 courseware. The RPP team will then work with these teachers to adapt and build out their new, up-to-date CS/CT knowledge via robust PD materials designed to help teachers inculcate CS/CT skills into their math and science instruction.<br/><br/>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.

Young People's Project, Inc.

Eli Tucker-Raymond, Maisha Moses

Zacliff@gmail.com

99 Bishop Allen Drive

Computation has become standard within professional scientific, engineering, and mathematical disciplines, even serving to connect people across fields for interdisciplinary work. Yet despite decades-long efforts to broaden participation, the underrepresentation of people from communities of color persists in computer science. The reasons for this are profoundly complex. In addition to inequitable access to learning opportunities, computer science education often assumes assimilation to the culture and practices of the discipline, without considering students? social, cultural, and intellectual resources. This deficit framing, as if people?s lives have nothing to offer computer science, serves to further marginalize students from groups already underrepresented in computing. This project from the Young People?s Project, Inc. aims to address these issues through a professional development program designed on culturally relevant pedagogy and integration of computer science into mathematics classrooms. This work builds on an established near-peer model developed by YPP?s Algebra Project and the integrative curricular strategy of Bootstrap. The project has the potential to build the computer science teaching capacity in Boston Public Schools, and to test a model of computer science teaching that is responsive to the needs of students from groups underrepresented in computing.<br/><br/>Building Capacity in Computer Science Education and Student Near Peer Classroom Mentorship is a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) collaboration between The Young People?s Project (YPP), Boston Public Schools (BPS), Bootstrap, and Boston University. It aims to increase the number of high school computer science teachers by designing, evaluating, and iterating on a professional development model that uses culturally relevant pedagogy and integration into mathematics classrooms. The goal of this project is to provide professional development for BPS teachers that uses a classroom model of instruction developed by YPP, the Algebra Project, and Bootstrap and integrates CS into existing 9th grade mathematics classrooms. The project promises to build the computer science teaching capacity in BPS, and to test a model of computer science (CS) teaching that is responsive to the needs of students from racial/ethnic groups underrepresented in CS. Greater capacity will include providing learning opportunities for BPS teachers currently teaching Algebra or other entry level mathematics courses in high schools as well as an infusion of college students who work as learners and educators alongside classroom teachers. The infusion of college students, YPP?s Model of Excellence, and a discourse-based curriculum supports a culturally relevant approach to CS learning that can provide entry points for a target population of students not currently offered computer science education in BPS. To develop teachers? capacity for CS teaching and leadership, the project will build an effective research practice partnership that includes a designed based implementation research process focused on the design and impact of the professional learning opportunity for teachers.<br/><br/>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.

jjryoo.ucla@gmail.com

10889 Wilshire Boulevard

Despite advances made by national Computer Science (CS) for All movements, women, students of color, and lower-income students are still underrepresented. Prior research has shown that computer science learning should be engaging, meaningful, and relevant for all students. This is especially true for underrepresented youth who may need additional support to develop a sense of belonging and identity with computing. This project looks closely at how and why students perceive their computer science courses during their high school years. The investigators will interview minoritized youth in Los Angeles and Mississippi high schools to learn what makes a difference for their engagement, sense of belonging, and agency with computing. The work will also study how underrepresented students do or don't persist from introductory to more advanced computing curricula.<br/><br/>This research will fill two significant gaps in current knowledge. First, youth perspectives have mostly been missing from conversations regarding keeping equity at the center of computing education. This work will specifically amplify minoritized students' voices. Second, the research will collect needed longitudinal data regarding the longer-term impacts on students' personal and educational pathways following experiences with new high school curricula, including Exploring Computer Science and Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles. The researchers will investigate how minoritized youth can best be supported to feel a sense of belonging in CS fields. This work will shine a light on the nature of the persistent under-representation of women and Students of Color in computing, moving the field toward critical solutions to this problem. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Popyack@Drexel.edu

1505 Race St, 10th Floor

In contrast to its neighbors Maryland, New York, and Ohio, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not require a Computer Science course for graduation and has not offered Computer Science certification at any level. Additionally, there is no statewide requirement for CS courses in the curriculum, and likewise a lack of teachers qualified to teach CS courses. These have contributed to a vicious cycle that is difficult to break, and which causes the School District of Philadelphia in particular to lag behind in educating students for computing in the 21st Century. The tide has begun to turn, however. After a suite of policy changes in the state since 2016, Pennsylvania announced the PAsmart initiative in November 2018, with statewide available grants available to schools and school districts for improving computer science and STEM education. The Jumpstarting Philly Researcher Practitioner Partnership aims to build upon this progress and efforts of CS4Philly, an affiliate of the national CSforALL consortium, and the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem CS Workgroup. The project will bring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science instruction aligned with educational standards to all Philadelphia students, and address the lack of equitable access to certified CS educators in Philadelphia high schools. An Equity Task Force will study issues surrounding equity, both within the school structure and the supporting community, and an Academics Task Force will look at issues and strategies related to increasing access to CS teachers. By engaging stakeholders across institutions, the RPP builds capacity for improvement and scaling of efforts to bring CS education to all schools in the School District of Philadelphia.<br/><br/>The Jumpstarting Philly Researcher Practitioner Partnership aims to bring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science instruction aligned with educational standards to all Philadelphia students and address the lack of equitable access to certified CS educators in Philadelphia high schools through a Networked Improvement Community (NIC). This project partners the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), high school teachers and administrators, teacher associations, community and informal education organizations, high school students, parents, and researchers to address this by: offering multiple pathways to certification; identifying a diverse pool of potential CS educators; strengthening support and communities of practice for current and potential CS educators; and working with public sector stakeholders to develop a more effective policy framework that encourages a more diverse pool of CS educators. The NIC Steering Committee will work to develop a common agenda for an integrated approach to address systemic and institutional barriers to offering high-quality, equitable, and inclusive computer science education by certified CS educators to high school students within the School District of Philadelphia. Since organizational change requires both buy-in from leaders and the people empowered to change policy, pedagogies, and practices, the Equity Task Force will engage school district administrators, high school principals, high school teachers, parents, students, community organizations, and non-profits offering informal CS education opportunities, through a series of community meetings. By engaging stakeholders across institutions, the RPP builds capacity for improvement and scaling of change efforts to bring CS education to all School District of Philadelphia schools.<br/><br/>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.

jcentury@uchicago.edu

6054 South Drexel Avenue

The project is being developed by an existing research-practice partnership (RPP) comprised of Broward County Public Schools, UChicago STEM Education, and the University of Florida. One goal is to create curriculum units that integrate computer science (CS) with other disciplines for PreK-8 students. The specific deliverable will be a unit on invasive species that incorporates science, social studies, and CS content and activities. The module's design will be based on culturally-responsive pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning to address the needs of learners with disabilities and African-American and Hispanic youth. A second goal is to study the student outcomes related to students' academic achievement, computer science proficiency, and attitudes towards computer science. Code.org, one of the largest providers of K-12 computer science content, has agreed to distribute the module to schools nationwide.<br/><br/>As an implementation study, the research will investigate the module curriculum's impact on student academic achievement, CS proficiency, and CS attitudes. It will also determine which components of the module were most impactful for whom and under what conditions. The researchers will frame these contributions in the broader context of equity. Specifically, the project will generate knowledge about aspects of the intervention that promoted equitable academic and attitudinal outcomes across all groups of young learners. Finally, this project will contribute to knowledge about RPP improvement and RPP engagement with the educational system. The research team will pursue the answers to these questions through a quasi-experimental implementation study. An evaluation of the research-practice partnership itself will also be conducted to contribute to knowledge on the collaborative design and implementation process. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

lisa.milenkovic@browardschools.com

600 Southeast 3rd Avenue

The project is being developed by an existing research-practice partnership (RPP) comprised of Broward County Public Schools, UChicago STEM Education, and the University of Florida. One goal is to create curriculum units that integrate computer science (CS) with other disciplines for PreK-8 students. The specific deliverable will be a unit on invasive species that incorporates science, social studies, and CS content and activities. The module's design will be based on culturally-responsive pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning to address the needs of learners with disabilities and African-American and Hispanic youth. A second goal is to study the student outcomes related to students' academic achievement, computer science proficiency, and attitudes towards computer science. Code.org, one of the largest providers of K-12 computer science content, has agreed to distribute the module to schools nationwide.<br/><br/>As an implementation study, the research will investigate the module curriculum's impact on student academic achievement, CS proficiency, and CS attitudes. It will also determine which components of the module were most impactful for whom and under what conditions. The researchers will frame these contributions in the broader context of equity. Specifically, the project will generate knowledge about aspects of the intervention that promoted equitable academic and attitudinal outcomes across all groups of young learners. Finally, this project will contribute to knowledge about RPP improvement and RPP engagement with the educational system. The research team will pursue the answers to these questions through a quasi-experimental implementation study. An evaluation of the research-practice partnership itself will also be conducted to contribute to knowledge on the collaborative design and implementation process. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

misrael@coe.ufl.edu

1 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

The project is being developed by an existing research-practice partnership (RPP) comprised of Broward County Public Schools, UChicago STEM Education, and the University of Florida. One goal is to create curriculum units that integrate computer science (CS) with other disciplines for PreK-8 students. The specific deliverable will be a unit on invasive species that incorporates science, social studies, and CS content and activities. The module's design will be based on culturally-responsive pedagogy and Universal Design for Learning to address the needs of learners with disabilities and African-American and Hispanic youth. A second goal is to study the student outcomes related to students' academic achievement, computer science proficiency, and attitudes towards computer science. Code.org, one of the largest providers of K-12 computer science content, has agreed to distribute the module to schools nationwide.<br/><br/>As an implementation study, the research will investigate the module curriculum's impact on student academic achievement, CS proficiency, and CS attitudes. It will also determine which components of the module were most impactful for whom and under what conditions. The researchers will frame these contributions in the broader context of equity. Specifically, the project will generate knowledge about aspects of the intervention that promoted equitable academic and attitudinal outcomes across all groups of young learners. Finally, this project will contribute to knowledge about RPP improvement and RPP engagement with the educational system. The research team will pursue the answers to these questions through a quasi-experimental implementation study. An evaluation of the research-practice partnership itself will also be conducted to contribute to knowledge on the collaborative design and implementation process. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

jamie.payton@temple.edu

1801 N. Broad Street

This project brings instruction in computing and data science to an elementary school with a predominantly Hispanic population through Project SMART, a digital educational game that uses students? in-school physical activity to motivate student learning. Students record their physical activity during the school day, whether in physical education class, at recess, or at other teacher-provided opportunities for physical activity. An elementary school class plays collaboratively; the physical activity of all the students in the class is converted to a distance traveled along an extended virtual journey. The learning modules are defined by teachers and directly connected to the core curriculum. Key to the approach is that the computational learning activities provided introduce data collection, analysis, and prediction questions using the students? own physical activity data. As such, the project explores research questions that are advancing the field's understanding about how to engage students in computer science. It also is investigating whether students are more engaged in, motivated by, and successful at computational thinking learning objectives if these objectives relate to data that is relevant to them: their physical activity, their interests, their environment, and, importantly, their own collected data.<br/><br/>This project expands and strengthens the Project SMART researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP), engaging researchers and teachers in collaborative efforts to identify strategies for computer science and computational thinking instruction that engages an elementary student population and addresses instructional challenges. These challenges include pressures to adhere to state standards that make it difficult to integrate additional content, a lack of at-home internet infrastructure that limits out-of-school student engagement, and teachers' lack of experience with and confidence in computer science content knowledge. Conjectures that orient the research plan explicate a premise that contextualizing computer science within the students' own physical activity during the regular school day as an integrated core subject lesson will help to address these challenges. In addition to advancing the field's understanding of a contextualized approach to data science instruction, this project also creates shareable learning modules that present data science learning activities that use the students' own physical activity to enable data modeling and prediction; guide students in hardware-software co-design to create wearable physical activity monitors that can improve data collection; and enable students to write code that extends the functions available in the game. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

c.julien@mail.utexas.edu

3925 W Braker Lane, Ste 3.340

This project brings instruction in computing and data science to an elementary school with a predominantly Hispanic population through Project SMART, a digital educational game that uses students? in-school physical activity to motivate student learning. Students record their physical activity during the school day, whether in physical education class, at recess, or at other teacher-provided opportunities for physical activity. An elementary school class plays collaboratively; the physical activity of all the students in the class is converted to a distance traveled along an extended virtual journey. The learning modules are defined by teachers and directly connected to the core curriculum. Key to the approach is that the computational learning activities provided introduce data collection, analysis, and prediction questions using the students? own physical activity data. As such, the project explores research questions that are advancing the field's understanding about how to engage students in computer science. It also is investigating whether students are more engaged in, motivated by, and successful at computational thinking learning objectives if these objectives relate to data that is relevant to them: their physical activity, their interests, their environment, and, importantly, their own collected data.<br/><br/>This project expands and strengthens the Project SMART researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP), engaging researchers and teachers in collaborative efforts to identify strategies for computer science and computational thinking instruction that engages an elementary student population and addresses instructional challenges. These challenges include pressures to adhere to state standards that make it difficult to integrate additional content, a lack of at-home internet infrastructure that limits out-of-school student engagement, and teachers' lack of experience with and confidence in computer science content knowledge. Conjectures that orient the research plan explicate a premise that contextualizing computer science within the students' own physical activity during the regular school day as an integrated core subject lesson will help to address these challenges. In addition to advancing the field's understanding of a contextualized approach to data science instruction, this project also creates shareable learning modules that present data science learning activities that use the students' own physical activity to enable data modeling and prediction; guide students in hardware-software co-design to create wearable physical activity monitors that can improve data collection; and enable students to write code that extends the functions available in the game. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

lucia@cdm.depaul.edu

1 East Jackson Boulevard

The Learning Partnership, in collaboration with DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will address gaps in computer science (CS) course performance among Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools. CPS uses Exploring Computer Science (ECS), a computer science curriculum designed to facilitate inquiry and equity-based instructional practices, yet Latinx students underperform in CS relative to their peers. Research shows that a learning environment that emphasizes the connection between students? lives and academic content is particularly important for Latinx students, and the PIs postulate that this could explain the gap in outcomes for Latinx students in CPS. The goal of this proposal is to adapt the Build Connections program, a new evidence-based strategy to help teachers and students connect course content to students? lives, as a complement to the ECS curriculum framework. The results of this project will contribute to the literature on culturally responsive pedagogy and further our understanding of the unique professional development needs of urban school districts.<br/><br/>The Learning Partnership, in collaboration with DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) seeks to address variations in Exploring Computer Science (ECS) course outcomes for Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools, including course performance and future course taking. Prior evidence from the CAF…CS coaching program suggests that teachers are not fully adapting lessons to accommodate students? backgrounds. Research shows that a learning environment that emphasizes the connection between students? lives and academic content is particularly important for Latinx students, and the PIs conjecture that this might explain the gap in outcomes for Latinx students in CPS. The goal of this proposal is to adapt and implement the Build Connections program, an emerging evidence-based strategy that helps teachers and students connect course content to students? lives, as a complement to the ECS curriculum framework. The integration of the Build Connections program will help support teachers in developing the kinds of culturally responsive lesson adaptations recommended by ECS. The project will provide online professional development, integrate support for the Build Connections program into ECS instructional coaching, and mentoring for the ECS coaches from an expert in improvement science. The results of this project will provide guidance to researchers on how to test their theories in practically relevant and meaningful ways, and the research will contribute to the literature on understanding the unique professional development needs of urban districts.<br/><br/>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.

Andrew Rasmussen

arasmussen@cps.edu

42 West Madison Street

The Learning Partnership, in collaboration with DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will address gaps in computer science (CS) course performance among Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools. CPS uses Exploring Computer Science (ECS), a computer science curriculum designed to facilitate inquiry and equity-based instructional practices, yet Latinx students underperform in CS relative to their peers. Research shows that a learning environment that emphasizes the connection between students? lives and academic content is particularly important for Latinx students, and the PIs postulate that this could explain the gap in outcomes for Latinx students in CPS. The goal of this proposal is to adapt the Build Connections program, a new evidence-based strategy to help teachers and students connect course content to students? lives, as a complement to the ECS curriculum framework. The results of this project will contribute to the literature on culturally responsive pedagogy and further our understanding of the unique professional development needs of urban school districts.<br/><br/>The Learning Partnership, in collaboration with DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) seeks to address variations in Exploring Computer Science (ECS) course outcomes for Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools, including course performance and future course taking. Prior evidence from the CAF…CS coaching program suggests that teachers are not fully adapting lessons to accommodate students? backgrounds. Research shows that a learning environment that emphasizes the connection between students? lives and academic content is particularly important for Latinx students, and the PIs conjecture that this might explain the gap in outcomes for Latinx students in CPS. The goal of this proposal is to adapt and implement the Build Connections program, an emerging evidence-based strategy that helps teachers and students connect course content to students? lives, as a complement to the ECS curriculum framework. The integration of the Build Connections program will help support teachers in developing the kinds of culturally responsive lesson adaptations recommended by ECS. The project will provide online professional development, integrate support for the Build Connections program into ECS instructional coaching, and mentoring for the ECS coaches from an expert in improvement science. The results of this project will provide guidance to researchers on how to test their theories in practically relevant and meaningful ways, and the research will contribute to the literature on understanding the unique professional development needs of urban districts.<br/><br/>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.

mcgee@lponline.net

The Learning Partnership, in collaboration with DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will address gaps in computer science (CS) course performance among Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools. CPS uses Exploring Computer Science (ECS), a computer science curriculum designed to facilitate inquiry and equity-based instructional practices, yet Latinx students underperform in CS relative to their peers. Research shows that a learning environment that emphasizes the connection between students? lives and academic content is particularly important for Latinx students, and the PIs postulate that this could explain the gap in outcomes for Latinx students in CPS. The goal of this proposal is to adapt the Build Connections program, a new evidence-based strategy to help teachers and students connect course content to students? lives, as a complement to the ECS curriculum framework. The results of this project will contribute to the literature on culturally responsive pedagogy and further our understanding of the unique professional development needs of urban school districts.<br/><br/>The Learning Partnership, in collaboration with DePaul University and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) seeks to address variations in Exploring Computer Science (ECS) course outcomes for Latinx students in Chicago Public Schools, including course performance and future course taking. Prior evidence from the CAF…CS coaching program suggests that teachers are not fully adapting lessons to accommodate students? backgrounds. Research shows that a learning environment that emphasizes the connection between students? lives and academic content is particularly important for Latinx students, and the PIs conjecture that this might explain the gap in outcomes for Latinx students in CPS. The goal of this proposal is to adapt and implement the Build Connections program, an emerging evidence-based strategy that helps teachers and students connect course content to students? lives, as a complement to the ECS curriculum framework. The integration of the Build Connections program will help support teachers in developing the kinds of culturally responsive lesson adaptations recommended by ECS. The project will provide online professional development, integrate support for the Build Connections program into ECS instructional coaching, and mentoring for the ECS coaches from an expert in improvement science. The results of this project will provide guidance to researchers on how to test their theories in practically relevant and meaningful ways, and the research will contribute to the literature on understanding the unique professional development needs of urban districts.<br/><br/>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.

Renee Fall, Pauline Lake, Cassandra Broneak

Jrosato@css.edu

1200 Kenwood Avenue

The College of St. Scholastica and Elms College will lead a small, High School Strand Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to investigate how to best prepare and support teachers who are new to CS as they transition from teaching the AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) course to AP CSA Java course. Rising demand for high school AP computer science (CS) courses, initially for CS Principles and now for CSA, has highlighted a need for more teachers to be trained in the more advanced CSA course. However, this task is challenging because CSA has a steeper learning curve as, unlike blocks-based programming environments, the text-based nature of Java introduces syntax errors and another layer of complexity in writing and debugging programs. Well-designed differentiated professional development (PD) is necessary to meet individual teachers at their level and successfully build their skills and confidence to teach CSA. The RPP consists of researchers who are College Board endorsed providers of the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and professional development (PD), and practitioners who are AP CSA master teachers who are leading differentiated CSAwesome pilot PD. The RPP team will use a design-based implementation research (DBIR) RPP model utilizing an iterative approach to refine the CSAwesome curriculum and professional development to meet the needs of teachers transitioning from AP CSP to CSA. The RPP?s goal is to Increase the number of trained teachers (60 over 2 years) who can teach AP CSA and their ability to recruit and support diverse students in order to broaden participation in advanced CS courses.<br/><br/>CSAwesome will utilize design-based implementation research in a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP) to refine curriculum and PD to support the transition from CSP to CSA for both teachers and students. The goals for this project include 1) establishing a sustainable RPP community of researchers and practitioners focused on supporting the transition of new to CS teachers from CSP to CSA, 2) developing and implementing differentiated PD that includes equity-based pedagogical content knowledge for 60 teachers transitioning from teaching CSP to CSA, and 3) improving the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and teacher resources to support the transition from CSP to CSA using a co-design approach with practitioners and researchers. The project will study to what extent the differentiated PD and curriculum support teachers in gaining the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge to teach AP CSA and, in particular, support the needs of low-income and female students in computing.<br/><br/>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.

hoffmanb@elms.edu

291 Springfield Street

The College of St. Scholastica and Elms College will lead a small, High School Strand Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to investigate how to best prepare and support teachers who are new to CS as they transition from teaching the AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) course to AP CSA Java course. Rising demand for high school AP computer science (CS) courses, initially for CS Principles and now for CSA, has highlighted a need for more teachers to be trained in the more advanced CSA course. However, this task is challenging because CSA has a steeper learning curve as, unlike blocks-based programming environments, the text-based nature of Java introduces syntax errors and another layer of complexity in writing and debugging programs. Well-designed differentiated professional development (PD) is necessary to meet individual teachers at their level and successfully build their skills and confidence to teach CSA. The RPP consists of researchers who are College Board endorsed providers of the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and professional development (PD), and practitioners who are AP CSA master teachers who are leading differentiated CSAwesome pilot PD. The RPP team will use a design-based implementation research (DBIR) RPP model utilizing an iterative approach to refine the CSAwesome curriculum and professional development to meet the needs of teachers transitioning from AP CSP to CSA. The RPP?s goal is to Increase the number of trained teachers (60 over 2 years) who can teach AP CSA and their ability to recruit and support diverse students in order to broaden participation in advanced CS courses.<br/><br/>CSAwesome will utilize design-based implementation research in a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP) to refine curriculum and PD to support the transition from CSP to CSA for both teachers and students. The goals for this project include 1) establishing a sustainable RPP community of researchers and practitioners focused on supporting the transition of new to CS teachers from CSP to CSA, 2) developing and implementing differentiated PD that includes equity-based pedagogical content knowledge for 60 teachers transitioning from teaching CSP to CSA, and 3) improving the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and teacher resources to support the transition from CSP to CSA using a co-design approach with practitioners and researchers. The project will study to what extent the differentiated PD and curriculum support teachers in gaining the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge to teach AP CSA and, in particular, support the needs of low-income and female students in computing.<br/><br/>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.

Temple University

jamie.payton@temple.edu

1801 N. Broad Street

In contrast to its neighbors Maryland, New York, and Ohio, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not require a Computer Science course for graduation and has not offered Computer Science certification at any level. Additionally, there is no statewide requirement for CS courses in the curriculum, and likewise a lack of teachers qualified to teach CS courses. These have contributed to a vicious cycle that is difficult to break, and which causes the School District of Philadelphia in particular to lag behind in educating students for computing in the 21st Century. The tide has begun to turn, however. After a suite of policy changes in the state since 2016, Pennsylvania announced the PAsmart initiative in November 2018, with statewide available grants available to schools and school districts for improving computer science and STEM education. The Jumpstarting Philly Researcher Practitioner Partnership aims to build upon this progress and efforts of CS4Philly, an affiliate of the national CSforALL consortium, and the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem CS Workgroup. The project will bring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science instruction aligned with educational standards to all Philadelphia students, and address the lack of equitable access to certified CS educators in Philadelphia high schools. An Equity Task Force will study issues surrounding equity, both within the school structure and the supporting community, and an Academics Task Force will look at issues and strategies related to increasing access to CS teachers. By engaging stakeholders across institutions, the RPP builds capacity for improvement and scaling of efforts to bring CS education to all schools in the School District of Philadelphia.<br/><br/>The Jumpstarting Philly Researcher Practitioner Partnership aims to bring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science instruction aligned with educational standards to all Philadelphia students and address the lack of equitable access to certified CS educators in Philadelphia high schools through a Networked Improvement Community (NIC). This project partners the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), high school teachers and administrators, teacher associations, community and informal education organizations, high school students, parents, and researchers to address this by: offering multiple pathways to certification; identifying a diverse pool of potential CS educators; strengthening support and communities of practice for current and potential CS educators; and working with public sector stakeholders to develop a more effective policy framework that encourages a more diverse pool of CS educators. The NIC Steering Committee will work to develop a common agenda for an integrated approach to address systemic and institutional barriers to offering high-quality, equitable, and inclusive computer science education by certified CS educators to high school students within the School District of Philadelphia. Since organizational change requires both buy-in from leaders and the people empowered to change policy, pedagogies, and practices, the Equity Task Force will engage school district administrators, high school principals, high school teachers, parents, students, community organizations, and non-profits offering informal CS education opportunities, through a series of community meetings. By engaging stakeholders across institutions, the RPP builds capacity for improvement and scaling of change efforts to bring CS education to all School District of Philadelphia schools.<br/><br/>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.

goodej@uoregon.edu

5219 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

The University of Pennsylvania, the University of Oregon, and the Education Development Center (EDC) will partner with the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teacher community to help keep experienced high school ECS teachers engaged in the teaching profession. In the last 10 years, ECS has provided initial preparation to thousands of teachers new to teaching computer science (CS) with a focus on improving access and participation to CS for students from underserved communities. Little is known about what this new and growing population of experienced high school teachers needs to continue to grow and succeed in the teaching profession?knowledge critical for retaining and expanding CS teaching force in coming years. The project team will partner with experienced ECS facilitators and teachers to develop an online professional development program to train CS teachers in physical computing along with pedagogy skills that addresses equity into CS teaching. The newly developed, online professional develop program will then be delivered to interested ECS teachers over the course of two years. Outcomes from this work will be analyzed and case studies capturing teacher and facilitator experiences will be developed. <br/><br/>This collaborative project between The University of Pennsylvania, The University of Oregon, and The Education Development Center (EDC) seeks to engage the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teacher community to determine what experienced high school ECS teachers need to continue to grow and stay engaged in the teaching profession. The PIs propose to partner with a core group of experienced ECS teachers to develop a fully online and time efficient PD model that can handle the challenges of preparing teachers in physical computing while providing a supportive context for discussing equity issues. They will leverage the newly released ECS curriculum unit on electronic textiles (e-textiles), which situates computational thinking within designing functional circuitry in hands-on, personalized crafts, to develop ECS PD. The project team is versed in addressing issues of equity and diversity in CS, and it brings together expertise in teacher learning, computer science education, online instructional design, and learning sciences. This RPP addresses the critical goals for CS education: (1) identify needs of experienced ECS teachers for continued learning and engagement with CS; (2) create and pilot online PD and facilitation for physical computing with e-textiles; (3) examine how online facilitation can expand ECS teachers? pedagogical capacities for addressing in equitable ways students? CS interests and perspectives; (4) build and scale facilitator capacities within the ECS community; and (5) contribute to knowledge on how professional teacher communities can support CS pedagogical practices.<br/><br/>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.

kafai@upenn.edu

Research Services

The University of Pennsylvania, the University of Oregon, and the Education Development Center (EDC) will partner with the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teacher community to help keep experienced high school ECS teachers engaged in the teaching profession. In the last 10 years, ECS has provided initial preparation to thousands of teachers new to teaching computer science (CS) with a focus on improving access and participation to CS for students from underserved communities. Little is known about what this new and growing population of experienced high school teachers needs to continue to grow and succeed in the teaching profession?knowledge critical for retaining and expanding CS teaching force in coming years. The project team will partner with experienced ECS facilitators and teachers to develop an online professional development program to train CS teachers in physical computing along with pedagogy skills that addresses equity into CS teaching. The newly developed, online professional develop program will then be delivered to interested ECS teachers over the course of two years. Outcomes from this work will be analyzed and case studies capturing teacher and facilitator experiences will be developed. <br/><br/>This collaborative project between The University of Pennsylvania, The University of Oregon, and The Education Development Center (EDC) seeks to engage the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teacher community to determine what experienced high school ECS teachers need to continue to grow and stay engaged in the teaching profession. The PIs propose to partner with a core group of experienced ECS teachers to develop a fully online and time efficient PD model that can handle the challenges of preparing teachers in physical computing while providing a supportive context for discussing equity issues. They will leverage the newly released ECS curriculum unit on electronic textiles (e-textiles), which situates computational thinking within designing functional circuitry in hands-on, personalized crafts, to develop ECS PD. The project team is versed in addressing issues of equity and diversity in CS, and it brings together expertise in teacher learning, computer science education, online instructional design, and learning sciences. This RPP addresses the critical goals for CS education: (1) identify needs of experienced ECS teachers for continued learning and engagement with CS; (2) create and pilot online PD and facilitation for physical computing with e-textiles; (3) examine how online facilitation can expand ECS teachers? pedagogical capacities for addressing in equitable ways students? CS interests and perspectives; (4) build and scale facilitator capacities within the ECS community; and (5) contribute to knowledge on how professional teacher communities can support CS pedagogical practices.<br/><br/>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.

kpeterson@edc.org

43 Foundry Avenue

The University of Pennsylvania, the University of Oregon, and the Education Development Center (EDC) will partner with the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teacher community to help keep experienced high school ECS teachers engaged in the teaching profession. In the last 10 years, ECS has provided initial preparation to thousands of teachers new to teaching computer science (CS) with a focus on improving access and participation to CS for students from underserved communities. Little is known about what this new and growing population of experienced high school teachers needs to continue to grow and succeed in the teaching profession?knowledge critical for retaining and expanding CS teaching force in coming years. The project team will partner with experienced ECS facilitators and teachers to develop an online professional development program to train CS teachers in physical computing along with pedagogy skills that addresses equity into CS teaching. The newly developed, online professional develop program will then be delivered to interested ECS teachers over the course of two years. Outcomes from this work will be analyzed and case studies capturing teacher and facilitator experiences will be developed. <br/><br/>This collaborative project between The University of Pennsylvania, The University of Oregon, and The Education Development Center (EDC) seeks to engage the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) teacher community to determine what experienced high school ECS teachers need to continue to grow and stay engaged in the teaching profession. The PIs propose to partner with a core group of experienced ECS teachers to develop a fully online and time efficient PD model that can handle the challenges of preparing teachers in physical computing while providing a supportive context for discussing equity issues. They will leverage the newly released ECS curriculum unit on electronic textiles (e-textiles), which situates computational thinking within designing functional circuitry in hands-on, personalized crafts, to develop ECS PD. The project team is versed in addressing issues of equity and diversity in CS, and it brings together expertise in teacher learning, computer science education, online instructional design, and learning sciences. This RPP addresses the critical goals for CS education: (1) identify needs of experienced ECS teachers for continued learning and engagement with CS; (2) create and pilot online PD and facilitation for physical computing with e-textiles; (3) examine how online facilitation can expand ECS teachers? pedagogical capacities for addressing in equitable ways students? CS interests and perspectives; (4) build and scale facilitator capacities within the ECS community; and (5) contribute to knowledge on how professional teacher communities can support CS pedagogical practices.<br/><br/>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.

Texas State University - San Marcos

msolem@txstate.edu

601 University Drive

The geospatial services industry is a profitable and rapidly growing field; however, employers find it difficult to hire scientists with expertise in both geography and computer science. The limited availability of training opportunities in both computer science and geography has created a shortage of workers with the necessary knowledge and skill sets for those jobs. Through a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP), The Association of American Geographers (AAG), in collaboration with Texas State University, the University of California-Riverside, San Diego State University, the California Geographic Alliance, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Diego Mesa College, will create an inclusive high school to college curriculum pathway that bridges concepts in computer science and geography. This RPP will support the development of a curriculum that is conceptually rigorous, inclusive, and culturally relevant. It will also produce a replicable approach for teaching geocomputation that is accessible and motivational for all learners.<br/><br/>The Association of American Geographers (AAG), in collaboration with Texas State University, the University of California-Riverside, San Diego State University, the California Geographic Alliance, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Diego Mesa College, proposes a CSforALL-PreK-14 Pathways Strand project to scale up its Encoding Geography Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) activities in California. This RPP will pursue research and development activities supporting an inclusive curriculum pathway toward geocomputationally intensive majors and careers. The first year of the project will focus on baseline data collection. In year two, AAG will convene a workshop with RPP members to produce culturally relevant geocomputational lessons and being to implement those lesson in CS and geography courses in high school and college. In the final year, the RPP will revise the lessons for ongoing implementation. The AAG will also implement a dissemination plan to scale up the RPP across California and to other states. An expert committee will provide a formative and summative evaluation of the project. This RPP will produce a replicable methodology for articulating curriculum pathways in geocomputation that are inclusive, accessible, and motivational for all learners. By involving the very stakeholders with whom the curriculum is concerned, systemic change toward a more diverse workforce in geocomputation is more likely to be achieved.<br/><br/>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.

San Diego State University Foundation

Thomas Herman, Kelly León

5250 Campanile Drive

The geospatial services industry is a profitable and rapidly growing field; however, employers find it difficult to hire scientists with expertise in both geography and computer science. The limited availability of training opportunities in both computer science and geography has created a shortage of workers with the necessary knowledge and skill sets for those jobs. Through a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP), The Association of American Geographers (AAG), in collaboration with Texas State University, the University of California-Riverside, San Diego State University, the California Geographic Alliance, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Diego Mesa College, will create an inclusive high school to college curriculum pathway that bridges concepts in computer science and geography. This RPP will support the development of a curriculum that is conceptually rigorous, inclusive, and culturally relevant. It will also produce a replicable approach for teaching geocomputation that is accessible and motivational for all learners.<br/><br/>The Association of American Geographers (AAG), in collaboration with Texas State University, the University of California-Riverside, San Diego State University, the California Geographic Alliance, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Diego Mesa College, proposes a CSforALL-PreK-14 Pathways Strand project to scale up its Encoding Geography Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) activities in California. This RPP will pursue research and development activities supporting an inclusive curriculum pathway toward geocomputationally intensive majors and careers. The first year of the project will focus on baseline data collection. In year two, AAG will convene a workshop with RPP members to produce culturally relevant geocomputational lessons and being to implement those lesson in CS and geography courses in high school and college. In the final year, the RPP will revise the lessons for ongoing implementation. The AAG will also implement a dissemination plan to scale up the RPP across California and to other states. An expert committee will provide a formative and summative evaluation of the project. This RPP will produce a replicable methodology for articulating curriculum pathways in geocomputation that are inclusive, accessible, and motivational for all learners. By involving the very stakeholders with whom the curriculum is concerned, systemic change toward a more diverse workforce in geocomputation is more likely to be achieved.<br/><br/>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.

Association of American Geographers

Sergio Rey, Rachel Russell

1710 16th St. NW

The geospatial services industry is a profitable and rapidly growing field; however, employers find it difficult to hire scientists with expertise in both geography and computer science. The limited availability of training opportunities in both computer science and geography has created a shortage of workers with the necessary knowledge and skill sets for those jobs. Through a Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP), The Association of American Geographers (AAG), in collaboration with Texas State University, the University of California-Riverside, San Diego State University, the California Geographic Alliance, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Diego Mesa College, will create an inclusive high school to college curriculum pathway that bridges concepts in computer science and geography. This RPP will support the development of a curriculum that is conceptually rigorous, inclusive, and culturally relevant. It will also produce a replicable approach for teaching geocomputation that is accessible and motivational for all learners.<br/><br/>The Association of American Geographers (AAG), in collaboration with Texas State University, the University of California-Riverside, San Diego State University, the California Geographic Alliance, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Diego Mesa College, proposes a CSforALL-PreK-14 Pathways Strand project to scale up its Encoding Geography Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) activities in California. This RPP will pursue research and development activities supporting an inclusive curriculum pathway toward geocomputationally intensive majors and careers. The first year of the project will focus on baseline data collection. In year two, AAG will convene a workshop with RPP members to produce culturally relevant geocomputational lessons and being to implement those lesson in CS and geography courses in high school and college. In the final year, the RPP will revise the lessons for ongoing implementation. The AAG will also implement a dissemination plan to scale up the RPP across California and to other states. An expert committee will provide a formative and summative evaluation of the project. This RPP will produce a replicable methodology for articulating curriculum pathways in geocomputation that are inclusive, accessible, and motivational for all learners. By involving the very stakeholders with whom the curriculum is concerned, systemic change toward a more diverse workforce in geocomputation is more likely to be achieved.<br/><br/>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.

andee_rubin@terc.edu

2067 Massachusetts Avenue

Using software tools to explore, analyze, visualize, and explain data is increasingly common. However, the development of data science skills and practices are still not common in much of K-12 education. This project will create and study "data excursions," structured activities that develop high school students' competencies with data practices and modeling within existing, phenomenon-based science curriculum. Integrating the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP), a free web-based data analysis and modeling tool designed for students in grades 6 ? 14, the data excursions will allow students to interact with existing datasets drawn from primary research. Students will learn to aggregate and represent data to explain biological phenomena such as the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and population changes in the Serengeti plains.<br/><br/>The project will use design-based research to investigate how working with real datasets, creating computational representations and using them to reason about ecosystem phenomena can support students' development of data science literacy. Transfer tasks, classroom observations, student interviews, and short exit surveys will be used to identify what aspects of the interventions lead to desired learning outcomes. The researchers will also develop professional learning opportunities for teachers to help them create relevant and coherent materials for students from nondominant communities. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Kathleen Henson

william.penuel@colorado.edu

3100 Marine Street, Room 481

Using software tools to explore, analyze, visualize, and explain data is increasingly common. However, the development of data science skills and practices are still not common in much of K-12 education. This project will create and study "data excursions," structured activities that develop high school students' competencies with data practices and modeling within existing, phenomenon-based science curriculum. Integrating the Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP), a free web-based data analysis and modeling tool designed for students in grades 6 ? 14, the data excursions will allow students to interact with existing datasets drawn from primary research. Students will learn to aggregate and represent data to explain biological phenomena such as the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and population changes in the Serengeti plains.<br/><br/>The project will use design-based research to investigate how working with real datasets, creating computational representations and using them to reason about ecosystem phenomena can support students' development of data science literacy. Transfer tasks, classroom observations, student interviews, and short exit surveys will be used to identify what aspects of the interventions lead to desired learning outcomes. The researchers will also develop professional learning opportunities for teachers to help them create relevant and coherent materials for students from nondominant communities. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Colby Tofel-Grehl

kristin.searle@usu.edu

Sponsored Programs Office

023Z, 8817, 9150

This project is a partnership among Montana education stakeholders to develop a new computer science (CS) curriculum for grades 4-8 that integrates with other school subjects, including Montana?s Indian Education For All curriculum (IEFA). Because computer science standards are new to Montana, teachers need support to bring computer science into their classrooms. This project provides support through two novel approaches to computing--storytelling using the Alice programming platform and physical computing with textiles that are embedded with electronics and then programmed by students. Because many teachers and students believe that computing is difficult, these novel approaches enable more broad access to computer science. They have been shown to only engage students and teachers in rigorous computing, but also to make computing fun. This work makes important contributions in terms of developing a culturally responsive computing curriculum that makes sense to Montana students, and also addresses broader questions about the successes and challenges on implementing state-wide computer science standards, especially in terms of teacher preparation and district support.<br/><br/>This project develops a culturally responsive curriculum along with teacher professional development, in order to investigate how CS learning can be framed for grades 4-8 teachers and students in Montana. In fall 2020, Montana is adopting new CS standards. Through a research practice partnership, this project is working directly with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, tribal entities, teachers, and other stakeholders to develop these culturally responsive resources, which will be aligned with CS content area standards that and with Montana?s IEFA curriculum. The project is leveraging computer science learning through storytelling and e-textiles. By bringing these two approaches together and aligning them with Montana's new CS standards, the curriculum is uniquely tailored to the stories and histories of Montana students and teachers. The project's research is examining how and in what ways bringing together Montana's IEFA curriculum and the new CS standards leads to the development of a culturally responsive computing curriculum. To iteratively improve the effectiveness of the curricular units, a design-based implementation research approach, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, is employed. The project is directly reaching 30 elementary and middle school teachers (grades 4-8) and 380 students. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Stacey Hancock, Travis Peters

brittany@cs.montana.edu

309 MONTANA HALL

023Z, 8817, 9150

This project is a partnership among Montana education stakeholders to develop a new computer science (CS) curriculum for grades 4-8 that integrates with other school subjects, including Montana?s Indian Education For All curriculum (IEFA). Because computer science standards are new to Montana, teachers need support to bring computer science into their classrooms. This project provides support through two novel approaches to computing--storytelling using the Alice programming platform and physical computing with textiles that are embedded with electronics and then programmed by students. Because many teachers and students believe that computing is difficult, these novel approaches enable more broad access to computer science. They have been shown to only engage students and teachers in rigorous computing, but also to make computing fun. This work makes important contributions in terms of developing a culturally responsive computing curriculum that makes sense to Montana students, and also addresses broader questions about the successes and challenges on implementing state-wide computer science standards, especially in terms of teacher preparation and district support.<br/><br/>This project develops a culturally responsive curriculum along with teacher professional development, in order to investigate how CS learning can be framed for grades 4-8 teachers and students in Montana. In fall 2020, Montana is adopting new CS standards. Through a research practice partnership, this project is working directly with the Montana Office of Public Instruction, tribal entities, teachers, and other stakeholders to develop these culturally responsive resources, which will be aligned with CS content area standards that and with Montana?s IEFA curriculum. The project is leveraging computer science learning through storytelling and e-textiles. By bringing these two approaches together and aligning them with Montana's new CS standards, the curriculum is uniquely tailored to the stories and histories of Montana students and teachers. The project's research is examining how and in what ways bringing together Montana's IEFA curriculum and the new CS standards leads to the development of a culturally responsive computing curriculum. To iteratively improve the effectiveness of the curricular units, a design-based implementation research approach, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, is employed. The project is directly reaching 30 elementary and middle school teachers (grades 4-8) and 380 students. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica Shumway

mimi.recker@usu.edu

Sponsored Programs Office

With the call to provide more computer science instruction to all students, school districts are increasingly relying on a range of educators beyond the classroom teacher to help teach computer science. In rural and small towns and in districts with limited budgets, this responsibility is often assigned to part-time paraprofessional educators, especially in elementary schools. These individuals typically are hired from the local community and do not have formal training in computer science or pedagogy. As teaching computer science represents a substantial expansion and shift in their responsibilities, districts are seeking ways to help these elementary school paraprofessional educators learn to teach introductory computing concepts as well as provide them with curriculum and teaching resources. This research-practice partnership addresses the training and curriculum needs for elementary schools in a rural serving district. This project will develop a model for supporting paraprofessional educators? learning in order to enhance their ability to teach computer science. The model will also inform the development of instructional materials that build on and connect to existing classroom-based mathematics instruction such that mathematical concepts are revisited and strengthened in the context of computing instruction. As the model builds on a widely used and standards-based curriculum, it can be used by many other school districts. The evolving nature and dynamics of the partnership itself will also be iteratively examined and refined in order to generate knowledge of how research-practice partnerships can be better structured for equitable participation and continuous improvement.<br/><br/>This project will advance theory and knowledge in three different areas: 1) the design and study of a learning model for underserved and underprepared paraprofessional educators in rural areas who are tasked with introducing students to computer science; 2) the design and implementation of a curriculum that integrates classroom mathematics instruction with computer lab instruction using a model of expansive framing; 3) the study and documentation of the dynamics and influence of researcher and practitioner partnerships, which are increasingly becoming prevalent in educational research and as a school improvement model. A combination of research surveys, video records of instruction, paraprofessional collaboration and learning sessions, and interviews with stakeholders and educators will be collected. These data will be used for research and for iteratively improving the design of paraprofessional learning experiences, curricula, and the partnership structure. Over 20 paraprofessionals and their 500 rural students will gain new skills related to computer science during the course of this project. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

vrlee@stanford.edu

450 Jane Stanford Way

With the call to provide more computer science instruction to all students, school districts are increasingly relying on a range of educators beyond the classroom teacher to help teach computer science. In rural and small towns and in districts with limited budgets, this responsibility is often assigned to part-time paraprofessional educators, especially in elementary schools. These individuals typically are hired from the local community and do not have formal training in computer science or pedagogy. As teaching computer science represents a substantial expansion and shift in their responsibilities, districts are seeking ways to help these elementary school paraprofessional educators learn to teach introductory computing concepts as well as provide them with curriculum and teaching resources. This research-practice partnership addresses the training and curriculum needs for elementary schools in a rural serving district. This project will develop a model for supporting paraprofessional educators? learning in order to enhance their ability to teach computer science. The model will also inform the development of instructional materials that build on and connect to existing classroom-based mathematics instruction such that mathematical concepts are revisited and strengthened in the context of computing instruction. As the model builds on a widely used and standards-based curriculum, it can be used by many other school districts. The evolving nature and dynamics of the partnership itself will also be iteratively examined and refined in order to generate knowledge of how research-practice partnerships can be better structured for equitable participation and continuous improvement.<br/><br/>This project will advance theory and knowledge in three different areas: 1) the design and study of a learning model for underserved and underprepared paraprofessional educators in rural areas who are tasked with introducing students to computer science; 2) the design and implementation of a curriculum that integrates classroom mathematics instruction with computer lab instruction using a model of expansive framing; 3) the study and documentation of the dynamics and influence of researcher and practitioner partnerships, which are increasingly becoming prevalent in educational research and as a school improvement model. A combination of research surveys, video records of instruction, paraprofessional collaboration and learning sessions, and interviews with stakeholders and educators will be collected. These data will be used for research and for iteratively improving the design of paraprofessional learning experiences, curricula, and the partnership structure. Over 20 paraprofessionals and their 500 rural students will gain new skills related to computer science during the course of this project. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

marcelo.worsley@northwestern.edu

750 N. Lake Shore Drive

This project is a research practice partnership that bridges computer science and physical education. The research team and K-5 physical education and coding teachers will co-design and implement learning experiences that incorporate wearable technologies into traditional physical education and coding classes. These experiences will help learners see the broad implications of computer science on athletics and help them see how physical education can advance computational thinking skills. The experiences will also engage students in designing and inventing their own wearables. Finally, the project includes re-envisioning how to assess learning in non-traditional computer science classes. Collectively, the different components of this project help address three important concerns: 1) a shortage of trained computer science teachers, 2) limited time in the school day for additional course content, and 3) the need for computer science education experiences that broaden participation. This project will train approximately 30 educators who can sustain and grow this work beyond the award period. Additionally, the project will reach more than 600 3rd through 5th grade students and examine the impact that this project has on their short-term and long-term interests, perceptions and knowledge of computer science.<br/><br/>This project is informed by prior research on constructionism, embodied cognition, culturally responsive computing and practice-linked learning. These bodies of literature come together to create a generative learning space that sits at the nexus of computational thinking, physical computing and physical education. This integration will be realized through activities that involve testing, critiquing, and designing custom sports wearables. Teachers will design activities that encourage students to 1) collect multimodal data (e.g. indoor location tracking, accelerometers, and bio-physiological sensors) using commercial wearables; 2) use that data to answer questions about their athletic performance; and 3) design low-cost prototypes that enable further exploring and improving their physical performance. Methodologically, this project uses a design based implementation research approach to study the following questions: 1) What are the components of an authentic and generative in-school learning experience that connects computing and athletics? 2) In what ways do these experiences impact short-term and long-term student and teacher perceptions, interest, knowledge and confidence with computing? 3) How do we appropriately re-envision assessments of student learning within these expansive learning environments? These questions will be addressed using a combination of data sources and analytic approaches. Researchers will use repeated measure statistical analyses of periodic questionnaires to quantify changes in perceptions, interest, confidence, and content knowledge. Many of the questionnaire items are drawn from the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) guidelines, and the STEM activation framework. These measures will be complemented by bi-directional artifact analyses of student projects and in-session observations. This bi-directional approach centralizes and synthesizes learning processes and learning products. Finally, the project uses student interviews and logs from a community-wide remote learning platform (EL3) to construct rich long-term learning trajectories for student participants. These data points and analyses will help surface some of the different pathways students might take after engaging in expansive computer science learning opportunities. Moreover, they will elucidate important design principles that integrate learning sciences theory with the practicalities of school. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

ksberry@smu.edu

The project focuses on integrating computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) in second and third grade content classrooms, using effective research-based strategies. As the world?s economy is becoming more dependent on computers and networks, the United States is seeing a critical shortage of CS/CT workers. This shortage could be offset if the CS/CT workforce was proportionally represented by women and underserved minorities. Currently, women make up only 26% of the CS workforce and underserved minorities make up only 8%. The project will target second and third grade teachers who will create CS/CT curriculum content units for their students. Girls and underserved minorities will be a specific focus. The project will integrate CS/CT curriculum units into all second and third grade academic classes in two elementary schools. The project will provide professional development (PD) to the teachers on effective research-based strategies that have been proven to motivate and interest girls and underserved minorities in CS/CT. During the PD, the teachers will apply what they have learned to create model content curriculum units for their classrooms. They will subsequently teach the units to their students. Researchers and school district personnel will work together to maximize the practical implementation of the project so that it can be successfully scaled to other grades and districts. <br/><br/>This project is a Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) project where participating teachers will develop and deploy several prototype content-based CS/CT curriculum units. Through the creation and implementation of these units, the teachers will increase their confidence and effectiveness in applying CS/CT in their content classrooms (language arts, social studies, and math). The teacher?s confidence in creating CS/CT content will be measured using pre/post self-efficacy surveys during the PD, and the teaching of the CS/CT curriculum units. They will reflect and share their experiences with each other through a Professional Learning Community (PLC). The PLC will help the teachers learn together which strategies are most effective for teaching CS/CT to their students. Additionally, a district-level Advisory Board will monitor the progress of the teachers and identify ways that the district can remove any obstacles to success. The ultimate purpose of this project is to help empower the district to continually increase the number of students who are interested in pursuing advanced CS classes and careers in CS. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

Jennifer Chiu, Sheila Mosby, Dwayne Cormier, Michelle Gay

anitacrowder@codevirginia.org

300 E. Broad Street

023Z, 8212, 8817

Although many states now mandate computer science (CS) / computational thinking (CT) integration into K-8 classrooms, there are still challenges to ensuring that all American students have access to CS education. This project focuses on two central challenges: teacher capacity to access and implement CS- and CT-integrated curricular materials, and equity in CS/CT learning opportunities for all students. In this project, CodeVA works in partnership with researchers from the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University, and two Virginia school districts, to develop and test a model to support elementary teachers in the development and ongoing adaptation of their own culturally relevant lesson plans that integrate CS and CT across core subjects (math, social studies, science, English language arts). Through a process of developing, testing and refining the model and resources, the project will develop the model and supporting ?toolkit? resources: a Computer Science Integration Guide for teachers to use as part of their lesson planning process, the development of an online professional learning community, an integrated lesson library of over 200 teacher-created lessons, and exemplar videos that will be used to help teachers visualize integrated CS and CT instruction. <br/><br/>The project team uses a Design Based Implementation Research approach to refine the professional learning model, and collect qualitative and quantitative data, to investigate the impact of the professional learning experiences and the toolkit resources as well as what is needed to support the use and implementation of the tools. Research questions focus on how the project activities help teachers develop culturally relevant CS integrated lessons; how the teachers implement the lessons; the impact of the lessons on student learning and interest, and the impact of the project activities on teachers? cultural competency, CS understanding and self-efficacy for teaching CS. The project is informed by Culturally Relevant Teaching theory as well as the Knowledge Integration framework. In addition to the toolkit of resources for teachers, the project will share research findings with researchers and practitioners; create white papers to support school administrators; and develop policy briefs. <br/><br/>This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

mjguz@umich.edu

3003 South State St. Room 1062

The project aims to provide more students computing education by integrating programming activities into social studies classes and to use the computing to enhance students? data literacy. Today, few students see computer science in high schools. Even in states with 40% or more of high schools offering a computer science class, less than 5% of students take that opportunity. Every high school student takes history. This project is developing an on-line education research curriculum for data literacy and data visualization tools and providing on-going support to teachers. This project supports students computationally to build data visualizations in history classes, with programming explicitly. This project also tackles the challenge of supporting social studies teachers to adopt the data literacy curriculum and the integrated computing education activities. Over a three-year period, the project is tracking teachers from a pre-service teacher data literacy course, into their field experience, and on into their in-service placement. Over three years, the project will describe the factors that influence adoption and non-adoption. This project is unique in its focus on developing curriculum and technology purpose-built for social studies with teacher involvement to improve adoption. The potential of the project is both to provide computing education to a larger number and more diverse range of students and to provide data literacy in a history context.<br/><br/>The project draws on three theoretical frameworks. The Technology Adoption Model suggests that teachers will adopt technology that has high perceived usefulness and high perceived usability. Design-based research informs what data to collect and how to analyze it when conducting a multi-year iterative study. Participatory design informs how to involve teachers in the design process so that the curriculum and technology meets teachers? perceptions of usefulness and usability. The project takes an iterative approach to developing an on-line education research curriculum for data literacy and data visualization tools and also in the designed support for teachers. The goal of the support to teachers (pre-service and in-service) is both to develop their knowledge and to inform the design of the curriculum and technology so that it can be adapted to increase adoption. This project is supported by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

Lori Caudle, Margaret Quinn

fharper1@utk.edu

1331 CIR PARK DR

023Z, 8212, 8817

Early and culturally relevant coding experiences nurture the computational thinking necessary for continued learning and interest in computer science. Developing interest in and support for computer science is important for participation in computer science degrees at the post-secondary level. This project has the potential to improve the teaching of computer science in early childhood by making explicit what needs to be known pedagogically about engaging Black and Latinx children in computational thinking. This study could shift the field to consider the unique needs of Black and Latinx children in computer science education from the beginning of formal schooling. The project also has the potential to prompt early childhood curricula to be attuned to STEM learners? identities with respect to race and class. Finally, the project has the potential to improve the social well-being of Black and Latinx learners by equipping their parents and caretakers to support children as they envision themselves in STEM across PreK-16 education. <br/><br/>The purpose of this medium research-practice-partnership project in the PreK-8 strand is to generate an actionable theory of change for promoting computational thinking and a sense of belonging in computer science through a culturally relevant robotics program developed in partnership with university teacher educators and researchers, administrators, teachers, coaches, and Black and Latinx children and their families. This research practice partnership will study: (1) the iterative co-development and refinement of a classroom- and home-based culturally relevant robotic program for Black and Latinx preschoolers and (2) how Black and Latinx children develop understanding of computational thinking and a sense of belonging in computer science as they engage in a culturally relevant robotics program. The proposed project leverages and expands upon existing collaborations towards culturally relevant STEM education among University of Tennessee and school partners at two schools ? a preschool with 163 children (90% Black) and a primary school (PreK-1) with 221 (63% Black, 24% Latinx) children. This project includes elements of both design-based research, by situating curricular interventions in authentic settings, and community-based participatory research where participants? voices guide the design and direction of the program. The project spans four phases where community partnerships will be strengthened and extended, curriculum will be co-designed and piloted, program implementation will be adjusted based on ongoing data analysis, and full implementation will lead to theory building and program development for broader impact. In addition to presenting and publishing research findings, the investigators will develop short briefs that can be sent to the local school board, administrators, community leaders, and the state department of education. Their final actionable theory of change and models for a family-teacher partnership for culturally relevant robotics programs will be disseminated broadly on a website in order to provide free and easy access to other teacher educators, teachers, instructional coaches, families, and school and community leaders. <br/><br/>This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Abdurrahman Arslanyilmaz

aarslanyilmaz@ysu.edu

One University Plaza

The project will 1) determine accessibility issues students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) would face with a computational thinking (CT) curriculum designed for mainstream students, 2) design instructions to make an existing CT curriculum for mainstream students accessible to students with ASD, 3) implement the accessible CT curriculum in one school and the original CT curriculum in another school for students with ASD, and 4) compare the effectiveness of the accessible CT curriculum to the original one to evaluate its success. This will be the first study to design, develop, implement, and evaluate an accessible CT curriculum for students with ASD. It intends to provide a publicly accessible CT curriculum resource with learning objectives, instructional design and information presentation methods, assessments, feedback, learning environments, and professional development materials to teach CT to students with ASD. <br/><br/>This project is a collaboration between expert practitioners and researchers working together to accomplish two objectives. The first objective is to identify adaptations and accommodations to make an existing computational thinking (CT) curriculum accessible to students with ASD. This objective will be accomplished by 1) analyzing seventh graders? characteristics at a school for students with ASD, and 2) developing adaptations and accommodations to make an existing CT curriculum developed for mainstream students accessible to the seventh-grade students. The data to be collected for this objective consists of systematic documentation of the adaptations and accommodations, including learning objectives, instructional design, information presentation, assessments, feedback, and learning environment. The second objective is to implement the accessible CT curriculum at one school and the original one without the adjustments at another school for students with ASD, and test its effectiveness in improving students with ASDs? learning of CT concepts (CTCs) and increasing their development of fluency in CT practices (CTPs) through two-group repeated measures study. The data to be collected for this objective will include pre- and post-tests to measure students? learning of CTCs and two artifact-based interviews to measure their development of fluency in CTPs. ANCOVA tests will determine if the accessible CT curriculum was effective in differentiating the two groups on their learning of CTCs and their development of fluency in CTPs. This will be the first study to design, develop, implement, and test an accessible CT curriculum for students with ASD, and will provide the first publicly accessible CT curriculum repository for students with ASD. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

Shriram Krishnamurthi

kathryn_fisler@brown.edu

023Z, 8817, 9150

Roughly half of the US states have adopted K-12 Computer Science (CS) standards to date. Many districts, however, cannot afford standalone CS classes because they lack funding, available time in the curriculum, and/or a pool of qualified teachers to hire from. Integrating CS into existing courses (e.g., math, science, social studies) is a promising alternative. Rather than computer science being taught as an elective that not all students take, it could be taught more equitably in core courses. Moreover, districts could save resources through this strategy. Integration also showcases how computing is not inward-looking but can impact other disciplines. Unfortunately, very little research guides districts on how students learn CS in integrated contexts or how teachers gain confidence, interest, and skill to teach integrated computing content. This project, a partnership between Bootstrap and the Oklahoma Department of Secondary Education, is studying these questions in the context of integrating CS into Oklahoma's 8th and 9th grade math framework. Because these challenges to introducing CS to schooling are pervasive nationwide, this project can serve as a model for meeting these challenges. The project is also producing research findings on creating effective professional development for teachers new to CS and how these teachers develop their capacity for CS instruction.<br/><br/>This project builds on an existing Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) in Oklahoma that has been studying how to prepare math teachers to start integrating computing into their classes. This award expands this ongoing work to prepare teachers to integrate computing in more depth and more extensively, with 135 teachers. Using design research, results from educational psychology, and our findings to date, this project is (a) developing a 2-stage, hybrid professional development program that fosters teachers' confidence and interest in computing (including a variant specifically designed to support rural teachers), (b) adapting lessons from the state math framework to include standards-aligned computing tasks, (c) studying teachers' process of change in thinking about integration, and (d) beginning to study impacts on students. The mixed-methods research draws on surveys and longitudinal interviews with teachers, recordings of classrooms, samples of student work, and data on student assessments. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Charles Hodges, Andrew Allen, Selcuk Dogan

makcaoglu@georgiasouthern.edu

Centered on teaching game-design and computer programming using industry-standard game-development software (Unity 3D), the project aims to create and implement a middle school computer science (CS) curriculum. The project will involve teacher professional development (PD), a collaboration between teachers and researchers to co-develop a curriculum, and research and evaluation to understand the outcomes from the design and implementation efforts. The project will take place in low socioeconomic status and underserved middle schools, which are fraught with issues when it comes to teaching CS (e.g., lack of high-quality PD and teachers) in addition to serving high-need students underrepresented in the CS workforce. Building on the appeal of game design as an attractive CS context for diverse populations, and the pedagogical approaches guiding the curriculum design, the project will address the needs of the underserved students in learning CS, helping overcome representation issues in CS.<br/><br/>Research and evaluation will be conducted on the (a) curriculum development, (b) teacher PD and professional learning communities (PLC), and (c) curriculum implementation processes. First, the curriculum will be built on previously established theoretical and practical frameworks and will be co-created with teachers. Unique to this project, however, game-design software used in industry will be used instead of block-based tools. This will help establish direct real-life relevance and reusable (syntactic) knowledge. The knowledge gained from this design and implementation will inform future game-design efforts in using more advanced software with industry and real-life acceptance and transferability. Second, data will be collected to examine the effectiveness of the hybrid, ongoing PD, and PLC efforts, and inform future CS professional learning opportunities that are similarly extensive, structured, and job-embedded. Third, data will be collected from students and teachers to understand the interaction among the design, teacher PD, and curriculum implementation toward creating an understanding of how the theories and design lead to CS and pedagogical content knowledge of CS during the implementation of the curriculum. Factors contributing to (or limiting) the curriculum?s use, and participation of underserved populations in CS activities will be the core of the analyses. Data will be collected to examine CS knowledge and motivation development of teachers and students by analyzing data from surveys, interviews, student games, reflections, student-student conversations, and classroom videos on teacher-student interactions. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

SageFox Consulting Group, LLC

Melissa Rasberry, Monica McGill, Stacey Sexton, Christine Ong

rzarch@sagefoxgroup.com

30 Boltwood Walk

Computer Science has a unique need for teacher professional development (PD) programs, in that many teachers are learning both new content and pedagogy. With the advent of the COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent US school closures in March of this year, PD providers had to quickly spring into action to create summer PD options that were both professionally rich and safe for participants. Primarily, this has meant a rapid shift from in-person experiences to a range of approaches combining on- and off-line learning environments. In this EAGER led by SageFox Consulting, a lead research partner on several NSF-funded projects, approaches to online PD and its impact on teachers will be documented and disseminated among PD providers. This data will not only inform the content and delivery of PD in the summer of 2021, but will also elucidate methods and mechanisms that may support teachers beyond the pandemic, such as how to reach educators who are the only CS teacher in their school or those who work in remote locations. <br/><br/>This EAGER will capture the unique attributes of the summer of 2020 as many computer science (CS) education professional development (PD) programs move to an all online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic and utilize this data to inform future online PD development. The project team, comprised of SageFox Consulting, CSEdResearch, CRESST, and AIR will leverage their collective evaluation expertise to examine the impact of the forced online delivery of teacher PD by providers either experienced with or new to online PD. Specifically, they aim to understand how projects adapt existing curricula for online learning and how they scale online teacher PD and provide resources within a short timeframe, as well as how their reported data on teacher impact compare to previous years. Gathering lessons learned from this rapid delivery and pedagogical change will help to inform future online PD efforts, especially if COVID 19-related closures continue. In addition, this study may uncover unexpected challenges or benefits associated with online PD (e.g., how to build community in an online space versus in person, ability to recruit participants from broader geographic areas). The central research questions for this project are: 1) What curricular and pedagogical changes have been made to summer 2020 CS PD in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and what was the process for making these changes? 2) What does teacher engagement look like in online CS PD and how is it measured? 3) In what ways has the move to online CS PD impacted participants in areas such as self-efficacy and perceived learning? 4 )How can lessons learned from summer 2020 PD inform future PD efforts?<br/><br/>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.

Shriram Krishnamurthi

kathryn_fisler@brown.edu

023Z, 7916, 9150

Brown University will explore how to enable math teachers to effectively teach computing online. Bootstrap is a national-scale outreach program that helps K-12 teachers integrate introductory computing into existing classes, such as math, physics, and social studies. Like many programs, Bootstrap has shifted to virtual professional development (PD) for Summer and Fall 2020. Its teachers are also preparing to teach with a combination of remote and socially-distanced instruction. For teachers with limited prior computing background, simultaneously learning and preparing to teach computing in a new (online) format demands significant cognitive overhead. Teachers must learn to effectively use programming tools, but also how to manage attention across these tools, lecture slides, digital worksheets (that would have been on paper for in-person learning), and potentially a videoconference session. With many learners (teachers and students) working on tablets or Chromebooks without external monitors or access to printers, the cognitive demands become considerable. This EAGER project explores how teachers in the integration context experience workload and develop non-cognitive dispositions that are known to impact the effectiveness of virtual PD in computing.<br/><br/>Brown University will seek to understand and mitigate the additional challenges that math teachers face when learning to integrate computing into their courses, both in virtual PD and in virtual teaching. Collected data will be largely qualitative, in the form of surveys, check-in questions embedded in PD sessions, interviews with teachers, and field observations during PD. Surveys will be designed to account for a variety of underlying factors, including cognitive task load, confidence, motivation, and interest. The project will result in case studies, findings about effective design of PD and instruction in virtual contexts, and curricular materials adapted for virtual instructional settings. Revised curricular materials will be freely available online. The assessments and materials will be designed for teachers in various situations, including those teaching remotely, those teaching in person but under student social-distancing, and those in rural areas, who have been requesting virtual PD independently of COVID. The latter, in particular, will make this work relevant even after in-person teaching and learning is able to resume.<br/><br/>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.

Helen Hu, Richard Scott

sarah.young@schools.utah.gov

250 East 500 South

This project is expanding computer science into rural elementary schools in Utah by designing and testing a process for adaptation of existing computer science resources into elementary science classes in grades 4-6. It leverages a partnership between the Utah State Board of Education, Westminster College, and the Central Utah Educational Regional Service Center to addresses the question, ?How can states and regional networks support rural districts in curating and adapting national resources for computer science education?? It is creating professional learning communities that bring together rural Utah elementary teachers with experienced science and computer science teachers, as well as educational technology trainers and national K-6 computer science teachers. The computer science units will be made available through CANVAS modules (the state licensed learning management system) as a way of making them accessible to other Utah rural teachers beyond the original cohort.<br/><br/>The research is investigating the process of adaptation of national computer science resources to rural K-12 needs, the rigor of the units created, and the success of implementation in the classroom. The team is using data on the challenges faced by teachers in those schools to iteratively refine targeted supports that include curriculum adaptations, differentiation of professional development (PD), and system-level supports that address the specific needs of rural school elementary teachers. To assess the usefulness of the adaptation, creation, and implementation process, the research involves interviews with both teachers and development team experts. Additionally, teachers are completing PD exit surveys and monthly implementation surveys. The team is also examining state data usage associated with the modules through the CANVAS platform as a way to measure implementation. The research is informing a model process for adaptation of national materials for computer science in rural K-12, and is being shared with the national computer science research community. This project is funded by the CS for All program.<br/><br/>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.

University of Tennessee Chattanooga

Jennifer-T-Ellis@utc.edu

615 McCallie Avenue

Chattanooga, TN is among the top 10 fast-growing metro areas for advanced industries, having added<br/>more than 3,000 high-paying jobs since 2010, many of which are in the technology sector. Unfortunately, Chattanooga does not have a district course pathway to prepare students to take advantage of and thrive in these career opportunities. Through this project, University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC) will partner with Hamilton County Schools (HCS) and Chattanooga State Community College to develop a PreK-14 computer science (CS) course pathway that integrates ongoing HCS initiatives and best practices already in place in districts across the nation. The project team will implement a small pilot of the program in eight schools. They will refine the program based on the pilot outcomes, and they will create a scalable implementation plan that broadens the participation of underrepresented groups, women, and disadvantaged rural students in CS knowledge. This project will help HCS improve student academic achievement, expose students to advanced coursework, increase ACT scores, and improve district graduation rates. More broadly, this project will be instrumental in developing a much-needed workforce trained in the CS skills necessary to develop the next generation of technology-driven products and services across a range of sectors.<br/><br/><br/>University of Tennessee Chattanooga will partner with Hamilton County Schools (HCS) and Chattanooga State Community College to formalize a GigCity CS4All Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP). Together with stakeholders, the RPP will develop and implement a PreK-14 computer science (CS) course pathway that integrates ongoing HCS initiatives and best practices implemented in other districts across the nation. The project will take place in three phases. In Phase 1, project leaders and stakeholders will formalize the RPP and draft a GigCity PreK-14 CS/CT Pathway based on ongoing HCS programming, as well as best practices from other districts implementing current CS pathways. In Phase 2, the RPP will implement and evaluate a small pilot of the CS pathway in eight schools representing diverse student populations. In Phase 3, the RPP will focus on refining the CS Pathway curriculum and professional development model based on results of the pilot and focus groups with teachers. The RPP will also create a comprehensive implementation plan to scale the model districtwide, as well as a replication guide to support other districts. HCS educates a student body that is more diverse than the state average, and the district includes urban schools in Chattanooga as well as 19 outlying rural schools. The leadership team will ensure that this diversity of voices are represented in this collaborative project, and they will create an integration plan that broadens the participation of underrepresented groups, women, and disadvantaged rural students in CS/CT knowledge and skills which will be transferrable to a wide spectrum of degree programs and careers. This project has the potential to help HCS improve student academic achievement and district graduation rates. The research will also contribute new knowledge towards the effectiveness of ongoing CS initiatives within HCS schools, as well as known barriers to successful CS integration.<br/><br/>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.

Matthew Madison, Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens, Shanna Hirsch

dherro@clemson.edu

230 Kappa Street

023Z, 1545, 8212, 8817, 9150

Scalable and agile approaches are needed to inspire young learners to develop STEM and computer science literacies and increase interest in STEM and computer science careers. However, advancing STEM and computer science skills is particularly challenging in elementary schools where teachers often teach subjects outside of their preparation, have limited technology support, and limited computer science curricular resources. In rural areas, geographical isolation and poverty further exacerbate existing barriers, and students with disabilities struggle significantly more than their peers in STEM disciplines. As a result, opportunities to develop computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) skills for these students are fundamentally inequitable. This Research Practitioner Partnership project is aimed at making data science education accessible to rural, elementary students, including students with high-incidence disabilities (e.g., learning disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders), to increase participation in CS education and broaden ways to hone CT skills. The project team will accomplish this through collaborative work between Clemson University researchers and 4th-5th grade teachers from a rural school district. The researchers and teachers will work together to develop, implement and test a model for creating and sustaining a customizable learning module that focuses on developing CT skills within a STEM context. <br/><br/>The team will take a Design-Based Implementation Research approach to the project, where they will iteratively co-design curricular resources and conduct research to inform revisions to the curriculum. They will also use a ?Pop-up? approach to address the need for scalable and agile data science curriculum modules. In education, Pop-ups are often understood as customizable courses or units that vary in length and are implemented at various times based on student needs; they are often best suited to teaching a new skill or technology. In this project, the Pop-up modules will be designed to (1) provide local contextualized problems and issues; (2) align to South Carolina?s Computer Science and Digital Literacy Standards; (3) map to a research-based taxonomy of CT practices for mathematics and science classrooms (Weintrop et al., 2016); and (4) appeal to young rural learners, including those with disabilities. The team will use Connected Learning Theory and the Universal Design for Learning framework to guide the curriculum development work. Through a concurrent parallel mixed-methods approach, they will investigate the key features of the co-design curriculum process, teachers? successes and challenges during iterative implementation cycles of the data science curriculum, the impact of the project and curriculum on teachers? confidence, self-efficacy and interest, the impact of the curriculum on elementary students? data and computational problem-solving practices, whether the impact is different for student with and without disabilities, and the impact on students? confidence, self-efficacy and interest in data science. The project team will share a model that they develop with researchers and practitioners across the United States to improve STEM learning for students who historically have been at a disadvantage in terms of access and resources. The data science modules that the teachers co-create will be available online for teachers across the country to download and customize. <br/><br/>This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Gillian Smith, Shakhnoza Kayumova

mdubosarsky@wpi.edu

100 INSTITUTE RD

This project aims to broaden pre-K-5 students' participation in standards-aligned and culturally responsive computational thinking (CT). The research team will establish a research-practice partnership (RPP) that will co-plan and co-design multidistrict efforts to develop standards-aligned and culturally responsive professional development (PD) that integrates CT into the PK-5 curriculum and instruction. The populations served are pre-K-5 students and teachers in Central Massachusetts. The project will connect a diverse team of researchers, policymakers, professional development coaches, and educators with diverse expertise on pre-K-5 CT teaching and learning. Following guidelines for effective partnerships and guided by Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) and Participatory Research, the project has four phases: 1) Build relationships within the RPP. 2) Identify problems of practice, and conduct in-school research. 3) Co-create PD in an iterative process of creating-testing-revising solutions to the identified problems. 4) Disseminate results and sustain the RPP.<br/><br/>The central research question asks what factors enable and hinder successful collaborations between institutions of higher education, school districts, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to address problems of practice around culturally and linguistically responsive CT teaching and learning in pre-K-5 classrooms. The RPP will develop shared understanding about the specific challenges that pre-K and elementary teachers and administrators from rural, urban, and town districts face concerning teaching CT to diverse populations. Such a knowledge base is essential to the development of CT-focused PD to empower teachers to integrate CT into curricula in accessible and meaningful ways. Using the RPP frameworks of mutualism and DBIR approaches of systematic and repeated inquiry, project members will identify and research problems of practice and possible solutions and strategies in their context. Analyses of the principles and processes will add to the body of knowledge about implementation research on building capacity of RPPs to identify and address problems of practice on culturally and linguistically responsive PD on CT integration for pre-K-5. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Joyce Malyn-Smith

Deborah Boisvert, Anne DeMallie

Jmalynsmith@edc.org

43 Foundry Avenue

The use of big data as a decision-driver has expanded into every scientific, industrial, and business enterprise. As fundamental proficiency in data analytics creeps into this broad range of traditional occupations, there is an increased need for data fluency and proficiency. From data literacy for all students, to big-data-enabled specialists, individuals skilled in the variety of tasks and duties required to collect, clean, and analyze massive data sets are in high demand. Through a collaboration of Burlington Public Schools, Education Development Center, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, this project will develop, test, and institutionalize a K-12 pathway focused on data science and careers. Utilizing a Massachusetts-wide initiative known as Innovation Pathways, this project will accelerate the expansion of student access to, participation in, and successful completion of pathways that culminate in meaningful postsecondary and workforce credentials. Equitable access, guided academic pathways, enhanced student support, relevant connections to careers, and partnerships are central to the development of the Innovation Pathway, and have the potential to broaden the participation of students entering data-centric careers.<br/><br/>This proposal design, develop, test, and institutionalize an innovation pathway focused on data careers (IPDC). The RPP is an extension of prior NSF-funded computer science and data projects and leverages a Networked Improvement Community (NIC) approach that includes high school and community college educators and industry and community partners. The research questions are driven by practice needs and focus on (1) what it takes to interest and motivate students to persist on an IPDC, (2) what characteristics of an IPDC most contribute to the success of the IPDC, (3) what supports are needed for teachers and other stakeholders to successfully implement an IPDC, and (4) the role of industry in sustaining a successful IPDC. Working with project partners, three school systems/high schools (designated as ?development sites?) will form an extended research/practice team. This team will design, develop, and test curriculum for a data module to be integrated into high school civics courses and pilot a Visualization+Data Course and a Python+Data course to complete the IPDC. Working with teacher leaders/facilitators from the development sites, five school systems/high schools (designated as ?field test sites?) will participate in professional development during Years 2 and 3. They will integrate the Civics+Data module in Year 2 and the Visualization+Data course in Year 3 and commit to implement the Python+Data course in the year following the end date of this project. Research findings will be used to guide further development of Innovation Pathways funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.<br/><br/>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.

University of Washington

4333 Brooklyn Ave NE

The University of Washington will lead a researcher-practitioner partnership that leverages the team?s joint expertise in computer science (CS) education research, justice-focused secondary teacher education, high school CS teaching, RPP leadership, academic program administration, and community organizing to design, launch, and sustain a new justice-focused secondary CS teacher education program to serve the Puget Sound region?s high schools. All youth need to understand both the amazing power of computing, but also its potential for harm in their lives. They also deserve the education to harness this power, to amplify their voices and bend computing toward justice. To achieve this vision, this project will design, launch, and evaluate a sustainable, pre-service, justice-focused secondary CS endorsement program.<br/><br/>University of Washington proposes to design, launch, and sustain a new justice-focused secondary CS teacher education program to serve the region?s high schools. The RPP has the shared goal of preparing secondary CS teachers who can empower all youth to bend computing toward justice. This goal is achieved through deeper engagement in two forms. First, teachers must have the content knowledge (CK) that while computing can amplify social change, it can also amplify injustice. Teachers must see that computing can rely on biased data; that algorithms can make unjust assumptions about identity; that people in power are increasingly delegating to algorithms decisions such as who is policed and how long someone goes to prison. Second, teachers must have the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) that how one teaches CS determines which students learn and what students choose to do with their CS knowledge. By reconceptualizing CS CK and PCK in terms of justice, CS education has the power to broaden participation in CS, but also broaden civic discourse on the role of computing in society. The project team will collaboratively write with teachers a new justice-focused CS teacher education book that is free, online, and accessible, reframing CS content knowledge in the CSTA standards in justice terms. With this book, they will co-design with teachers four new CS teacher education courses on CS teaching methods, CS assessment, CS justice and equity, and a CS teaching field experience. Finally, they plan to pilot and launch the program, attracting both pre-service and in-service teachers, and sustaining their roles as CS teachers through a vibrant community of justice-focused CS educators.<br/><br/>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.

Ashish Amresh, Emily Evans, Cheryl Mango-Paget

promine@navajotech.edu

LOWER POINT ROAD

Navajo Technical University leads Project Let?s Talk Code to investigate a novel approach to introduce Computer Science (CS) to high school students in the Navajo Nation (NN) tribal region in Arizona and New Mexico. Its name is rooted in the contributions and legacy of the Navajo Code Talkers, who played a pivotal role in the Allied forces? victory in World War II. Just like the Navajo Code Talkers engineered their own code and created a new way of communicating through the Navajo language, these students will learn to do the same through a co-developed culturally rooted curriculum that is contextualized in real-world problem-solving activities that are intimately connected to the Navajo culture. The goal of the project is to improve students? computational skills with a focus on preparing them to succeed in the Advance Placement (AP) computer science courses and motivate them to enroll in CS degrees. The project aims to help math, science and art teachers from NN high schools develop CS based projects in their existing courses and provide mentorship and guidance towards offering AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) courses in the subsequent years. The program will include a two-week professional development program and follow-up activities. Native Americans (NA) have historically been the most underrepresented population when it comes to participating in STEM and computing careers. The Navajo are one of the largest NA groups in the country and understanding the barriers and developing solutions to increase their participation will have far reaching consequences on informing the research and practice on how computing can be taught at NA tribal high schools.<br/><br/>Project Let?s Talk Code (LTC) is a Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) that investigates a novel approach to introduce Computer Science (CS) to high school students in the Navajo Nation (NN) tribal region in Arizona and New Mexico. The goal of the RPP is to improve students? computational skills with a focus on preparing them to succeed in the Advance Placement (AP) computer science courses and motivate them to enroll in CS degrees. The project aims to help math, science and art teachers from NN high schools develop CS based projects in their existing courses and provide mentorship and guidance towards offering AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) courses in the subsequent years. The program will include a two-week professional development program and follow-up activities. Its framework builds on a widely used AP computer science principles (CSP) curriculum developed by Code.org and stays true to the principles of writing, editing, compiling and executing code, while providing additional meaning via culturally rooted real-world examples that are contextualized in the Navajo culture. The project team will engage tribal community stakeholders, administrators, teachers and regional colleges in the design and development of the curriculum and its broader application in the NN community. The RPP is structured as an iterative evidence-based design project where the teachers (practitioners) work with a multi-institutional team of researchers and CS educators to improve the capacity building needs of its partners (high schools and regional colleges). It includes a mixed-methods analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected by offering professional development training sessions, after school programs and peer-to-peer mentoring. Frequent and timely analysis feeds into the co-creation and co-design of the curriculum during the duration of the project. Capacity building activities during the project such as the creation of communities of practices will ensure long term sustainability.<br/><br/>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.

June Apaza, Julie Mathiesen, Ian Her Many Horses

Ben.Sayler@bhsu.edu

1200 University St

023Z, 8212, 8817, 9150

While the prevalence of high schools offering computer science is growing nationally and specifically in South Dakota, many schools are struggling with course enrollment. Disproportionally low numbers of female students are choosing to enroll, and both female students and American Indian students are arriving at high school with less positive attitudes towards computer science (CS) than their male and non-American Indian peers. Therefore there is a need to begin CS instruction earlier, to allow students to build on their experiences as they progress to higher grade levels. Exposure to computational thinking (CT) and computer science at elementary grades will prepare and inspire students to engage with more sophisticated CT/CS in middle and high school. While there has been some research in this area in the past, there exists a need for the development of effective implementation of CT/CS processes for elementary teachers in a rural context where resources are sparse and access to training is limited. This project is a Research Practice Partnership between Black Hills State University, Technology and Innovation in Education, Sanford University Research Facility, and 17 schools across South Dakota. The project supports 4th and 5th grade teachers in providing engaging CS/CT experiences for all students and does so within the context of their math and science instruction. The project introduces computational thinking within elementary math and science, where the investigators have identified the leveraging of CT within math and science as a strategic way of increasing student exposure to computer science in elementary grades.<br/> <br/>Through the structure of a researcher-practitioner partnership, this project will address two fundamental questions: 1) What strategies are most effective in integrating computational thinking and computer science into elementary teachers' practice; and 2) To what degree are students benefitting from exposure to CT and CS in the elementary grades? The project will seek to answer these questions - and others that emerge through the RPP - by working in close collaboration with teachers in rural and otherwise high-need schools across their region, including numerous partner districts from the investigators? recent project with high schools and high school teachers. The investigators will use data from surveys, interviews, classroom observations, and pre- and post- tests. The research will pay special attention to differences in student experiences and outcomes across race and gender. The research will also test project components with an audience of pre-service teachers in their final year of teacher preparation. The project will document and make available on its website: curated, developed and tested curriculum components; a model for integrating CS into existing curriculum at the elementary level; professional development resources; and papers written for researchers, practitioners and policy-makers.<br/> <br/>This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

gsonnert@cfa.harvard.edu

1033 MASSACHUSETTS AVE

This research project is studying the wide range of efforts underway nationwide to offer computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) to K-12 students, by measuring their impact on students' career interest in computer-related fields and on their attitudes toward computing. While there is widespread support for offering CS and CT experiences to pre-college students, there are few national statistics on the prevalence of in-school/out-of-school offerings, as well as personal hobbies and explorations. However great the enthusiasm about pre-college CS and CT initiatives, little definitive evidence exists about their long-term effects on students. Whereas many programs have been evaluated individually, the field has yet to examine the relative impact of pre-college students' CS and CT experiences on their interest in CS and STEM careers, their attitudes toward CS, and their CS identity. This study measures the impact of decisions about the use of computers and CT activities, made by CS and STEM teachers, as well as teachers of other subjects, along with those made by the creators of online resources, out-of-school time educators, and other involved professionals. This study has the capability to reveal the most promising educational practices and interventions (many developed with NSF support), including in-school computing and CT instruction, after-school programs, competitions, and clubs in a nationally representative sample of first-year college students. Because the under-representation of females and certain racial and ethnic minorities in the STEM and CS workforce has been a long-standing concern, this project will have a strong focus on girls and underrepresented minorities. It will determine both the degree to which these groups have access to the various CS and CT-related opportunities and the extent to which these opportunities translate into positive long-term outcomes for them.<br/><br/>Using epidemiological methods that control for prior interest and background variables, this retrospective cohort study will collect a nationally representative, stratified random sample of 8,000 college students (enrolled in a mandatory freshman course, so that students with all levels of interest and experience in CS and CT are included). It will model the degree to which any prior CS- and CT-related experiences predict students' CS attitudes, identity, and career interests, using linear and logistic regression. Epidemiological techniques offer a cost effective and well-understood methodology to simultaneously test multiple hypotheses, while controlling for a host of demographic and background factors that differ for individual subjects. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Manuel Perez-Quinones

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

David Pugalee, Florence Martin

Perez.Quinones@uncc.edu

9201 University City Boulevard

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNCC) in collaboration with the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) will partner with surrounding school districts to build a Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP). High schools struggle to not train teachers to offer CS courses, but also to diversify the students taking computing courses. This project will develop and offer an online professional development course for high school teachers to prepare them to teach computer science to diverse learners including learners from underserved and underrepresented groups. This project will advance the use of automated graders as well as culturally responsive instructional materials to teach computing. In addition, this project will prepare the teachers with strategies to effectively teach computing online which is essential to our current society and to reach students who do not otherwise have opportunities to study computing. <br/><br/>This RPP partnership will leverage the AP Computer Science A (APCSA) course offered online by NCVPS throughout North Carolina. The project team seeks to enhance the teaching of Computer Science content using online resources with a long-term goal to increase participation in high school courses by students from traditionally underrepresented groups. This project will address one of the structural constraints (e.g., not enough teachers) faced when broadening participation using automated assessment tools. Furthermore, to make computing relevant to a diverse student population, they plan to create culturally responsive teaching materials and train teachers on their use. The project staff will: (1) foster the development of an RPP with NCVPS teachers, (2) develop and deliver an online course focused on how to teach Computer Science online with a focus on Broadening Participation, (3) develop teaching materials to train teachers on how to use automated graders in CS courses, and (4) develop teaching materials to train teachers how to teach CS to culturally and racially diverse students. This project will expand the offering of APCSA to districts and schools that traditionally have been under served, with the goal to increase the number of students from underrepresented and underserved groups taking the APCSA course.<br/><br/>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.

West Virginia University Research Corporation

Gay Stewart, Mingyu Lu

afrin.naz@mail.wvu.edu

More than 20% of public-school students in the US attend schools in rural districts; however, these schools are less likely to offer computer science (CS) courses than those in suburban areas, contributing to the access divide and disparities in CS participation and achievement by socioeconomic status (SES), race, and gender. One of the primary reasons why integration of CS into the K-12 curriculum remains elusive for rural districts is the lack of educators with CS expertise. Additionally, principals and counselors are often unaware of the importance and prevalence of CS to careers relevant to their communities. The SUCCESS team will address these issues by designing an ecosystem, including district and school level supports, that will ensure that all middle school students in predominantly rural WV have access to high quality CS education and an understanding of CS career opportunities. To reach its goal of increased CS access, SUCCESS will specifically work to increase teacher CS content knowledge, improve principal and counselor understanding of how to support teachers, and spread awareness of CS careers for students, teachers, counselors and principals. <br/><br/>Secure and Upgrade Computer Science in Classrooms through an Ecosystem with Scalability & Sustainability (SUCCESS), will build an ecosystem to increase access to Computer Science (CS) and participation of underrepresented West Virginia (WV) middle school students in CS. SUCCESS builds on an established partnership between West Virginia University Center for Excellence in STEM Education (CE-STEM), Code.org (Code WV, in CE-STEM, is their WV Regional partner), the WV Department of Education (WVDE), and the Raleigh County School District to increase CS access by addressing the objectives identified as crucial by practitioners. The goals of this project are to increase: 1) teacher CS content knowledge, 2) principal and counselor understanding of how to support teachers to ensure all students have CS access, and 3) the awareness of CS careers for students, teachers, counselors and principals. The design research partnership approach provides for iteration and improvement of the PD model and other activities based on research, including data and input from SUCCESS partners and the ability to increase the number of educators that the project can serve. SUCCESS will adapt a high-quality existing CS curriculum and PD program to increase awareness of CS in the 16 Career Clusters established by WVBoE, satisfying two state course requirements. A video library supporting the career clusters will be created and all materials made available to all teachers in WV. Other CS training content identified as needed by partners will be created and delivered through the WVDE online system for use by teachers throughout the state toward achieving CS credentials.<br/><br/>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.

University of California - Merced

Stefano Carpin, Chelsea Arnold

akyrilov@ucmerced.edu

5200 North Lake Road

The University of California, Merced in collaboration with local school administration officials, teacher preparation program staff, and both in-service and pre-service teachers, will develop a Research Practitioner Partnership focused on High School. The goal of the project is to create a self-sustaining and scalable professional development program, called START UP SJV, to support high school teachers who teach Computer Science. The START UP SJV program will aim to help teachers improve their own computer programming and computational thinking skills, so that they can better teach their students.<br/><br/>The START UP SJV project will develop an online and supported educational and engagement platform called Compass to leverage existing tools and curriculum from ECS and TEALS, and set up the materials with accompanying exercises on the online Compass educational platform. The Compass system allows participants to read materials, work on code, and get support all in one place. To provide real-time support on the system, the PIs will recruit advanced Computer Science Engineering undergraduate students from UC Merced, a Hispanic-serving institution, who will sign up for course credit, and serve as support personnel on the system, answering participant's questions and providing overall guidance and support.<br/><br/>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.

Brian Lawler, Deepa Muralidhar

ashaw8@kennesaw.edu

1000 Chastain Road

This research project studies conjectures about the learning of computational thinking through the development of a curricular and pedagogical intervention. The intervention adds a computational environment to a successful effort called the Algebra Project, and is focused on engaging all students in a predominantly African American middle school in computational thinking. In so doing, this work seeks to develop a remedy for the fact that many low-performing students lack a sufficient contextual understanding of the symbols that they are taught to manipulate in their mathematics courses. This research seeks to demonstrate how the use of various types of computational thinking can increase conceptual understanding, visual reasoning, and representational logic. In pursuit of this outcome, this project is seeking to determine to what extent a specific type of simulation and modeling application can enable teachers and middle-school students to use visual reasoning and spatial logic when analyzing mathematical functions. Students in this intervention will work collaboratively in small groups among themselves, and with near peer mentors and tutors, to examine shared experiences that are grounded in mathematical and computational logic. Through their ongoing collaboration and discourse, the students will determine solutions for various tasks and challenges that they are presented. In addition to using visual reasoning and spatial logic in this work, students will also learn to use Python scripts and functions to aid them in their analyses.<br/><br/>This research study will be carried out by using a specific type of Python-based microworld, that combines enactive-iconic representations with an experiential math curricular approach developed by the Algebra Project. The Algebra Project?s curricular approach uses a 5-step collaborative model for mathematics inquiry in the classroom. The first step begins with the students experiencing a shared event. Next, students examine the experience by representing the event pictorially, then through everyday language, then through an agreed upon regimentation of everyday language, and finally through the use of iconic and conventional symbolic representations and equations. This research will extend the Algebra Project?s curricular and pedagogical approach by providing students with enactive-iconic and diagrammatic mathematical constructions that they can manipulate virtually in a computational environment that they can use to further examine the mathematical features and logical structures involved. The results of the previous work of this research team that piloted this approach with a very small number of students in an urban context, found that the students involved developed a greater conceptual understanding of core mathematical ideas, namely equation and function, grounded in visual reasoning and representational logic. Furthermore, indicators suggested improvements in ownership and engagement. The research team had not yet examined the extent to which core elements of computational thinking were developed by the students, and this research will address that issue, as well as expand the content of the mathematics and computational material involved. This project is supported by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

hyunjoo.oh@gatech.edu

Office of Sponsored Programs

Most computers do powerful things but hide their inner workings. Even if students can look inside a computing device, they would find it difficult to understand and manipulate its behavior. This project will develop tangible computing kits to allow students to observe and work with otherwise invisible computing concepts and principles. Students will design, create, modify, and troubleshoot projects using these low-cost electronics components. The project will support inclusive participation in computing by providing learners with these new kits and activities based on culturally-relevant pedagogies. This research will study the impact of this approach upon learners' technical competency beliefs ? their self-concepts and beliefs about their knowledge, skills, and ability to learn and work in computing. Strong beliefs in these areas are needed to lower barriers for successful participation in immediate, near, and far future computing education opportunities.<br/><br/>This project combines recent innovations in material science, human-computer interaction, and maker-oriented technologies to create new materials and building blocks for physical computing projects. Underrepresented middle school-aged youth ? primarily Black, Latino, and female ? will use these tools to develop understandings about the functionality and principles that underlie computational objects. Design-based and mixed methods research will be used to study how these tools and culturally-relevant design activities influence middle school youth's practices, participation, and changes to technical competency beliefs. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.

Cleveland State University

Chansu Yu, Brian Harper

d.jackson1@csuohio.edu

2121 Euclid Avenue

It is critical that all students have a basic understanding of our digital world to ensure their future success in all realms of college and career readiness. However, the playing field is not level; the numbers of women students, students of color, and students with disabilities, for example, remain low. It is therefore important that intentional strategies and measures that are specifically aimed at inclusive access (the forAll part of CSforAll). This The Cleveland Tech Talent Pipeline will build upon several NSF-supported efforts in Cleveland to develop pathways for students in computer science and information technology from high school to career, community college and/or four-year colleges and universities. Through a collaboration between Cleveland State University and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), a network of pathways will be implemented through a range of activities, including high school mathematics and computer science courses, internships, and summer programs for CMSD students. The lessons learned from this project will be highly valuable for states and communities across the US working to introduce CS at scale in K-12 schools and create pathways from high school to and through higher education.<br/><br/>Since 2013, Cleveland State University (CSU), in collaboration with Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) and other local groups, has been serving students in CMSD to ensure that they have access to computer science knowledge, skills and careers. Leveraging prior NSF-funded research on the impact of CS courses on underrepresented students of color in Cleveland, The Cleveland Tech Talent Pipeline (CLE TTP) will develop pathways for students interested in careers in CS and information technology from high school to community college and/or four-year colleges and universities utilizing high school mathematics and CS courses and summer internships with mathematics support for students in the CMSD. This Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) will: 1) support the development of summer workshops and internship programs for high school students from CMSD, 2) incorporate CS and information technology into the high school curriculum, 3) create a transition for CMSD students to career, two-year and four-year degree programs, 4) track and provide support for students from ninth grade through college and career from CMSD who participate in the CS courses, summer programs and/or internships, and 5) develop a dissemination strategy to share lessons learned with other districts in the local, state and national communities. The project team will also conduct research on the impacts of the workshop/internship programs and the CS high school curriculum. This project has the potential to inform the CS community about CS pathways for students in high need urban districts across the country.<br/><br/>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.

misrael@coe.ufl.edu

1 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

023Z, 1545, 8212, 8817

This collaborative partnership project works to broaden participation by focusing on increasing inclusion of elementary students with disabilities in four school districts in four different regions of the US. Increasing access to computer science (CS) education for this broad range of learners presents an equity issue. It is widely known that people with disabilities are significantly underrepresented in computing education (e.g., NSF, 2019; Taylor & Ladner, 2011). Beyond equity, increasing diversity within the STEM disciplines, including CS, produces benefits to everyone as the range of ideas that come from diverse stakeholders supports critical thinking and development that benefits all of society (Ferrini-Mundy, 2013). The partnership between the University of Florida and CS education leaders from New York City Public Schools, San Francisco Unified School District, Broward County Public Schools, and P. K. Yonge Developmental Research School will develop and make available a range of professional development resources that will allow teachers to challenge their beliefs about students with disabilities and develop skills and knowledge about effective instructional approaches for accessible and engaging instruction for all their learners, including those with disabilities. <br/><br/>The project uses early-phase design-based implementation research (DBIR) to address a shared problem of practice related to the meaningful inclusion of students with disabilities in elementary CS education. An important part of this project is the work done to create an infrastructure for sharing knowledge, testing new ideas, empowering the Research Practice Partnership partners, and disseminating knowledge with the CS education field. Necessary steps to ensuring equitable access to CS education for students with disabilities include: (1) understanding the level of inclusion of these learners in elementary CS instruction as well as catalysts and barriers to inclusion in CS instruction across the school districts, (2) investigating instructional practices to support teachers in making CS accessible and engaging for these learners typically underrepresented in the computing fields, and (3) beginning to develop flexible resources that can be used in professional development for general and special education teachers on inclusive CS education. This project will, therefore, generate new and transferable knowledge about the degree to which students with disabilities participate in elementary CS education, how different districts approach inclusion in CS education, and the catalysts and barriers involved in this effort. In addition, the investigators will conduct case studies of each practice partners? unique contexts. Lastly, this project will operationalize inclusive CS in different instructional settings and provide examples of how the Universal Design for Learning framework and a balanced approach to using explicit instruction within open inquiry CS education can be used to foster inclusive elementary CS learning. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.<br/><br/>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.