Abolitionist Computer Science Teaching: (Re)Conceptualizing the Field

• In Event: Centering the Experiences and Needs of BIPOC+ Students in K–12 Teaching

Abstract

As high school computer science course offerings have expanded over the past decade, gaps in race and gender have remained. This study embraces the “All” in the “CS for All” movement by shifting beyond access and toward abolitionist computer science teaching. Using data from professional development observations and interviews, we lift the voices of BIPOC CS teachers and bring together tenets put forth by Love (2019) for abolitionist teaching along with how these tenets map onto the work occurring in CS classrooms. Our findings indicate the importance of BIPOC teacher representation in CS classrooms and ways abolitionist teaching tenets can inform educator’s efforts at moving beyond broadening participation and toward radical inclusion, educational freedom, and self-determination, for ALL.

Authors

• Allison Ivey, Oregon Department of Education

• Stephany RunningHawk Johnson, Washington State University

• Makseem Angel Skorodinsky, University of Oregon

• Joanna Goode, University of Oregon

• Jimmy Snyder, University of Oregon