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Expanding Equity in Computer Science: Lessons From a Teacher Survey in a Large Urban District (Poster 9)

Sat, April 13, 11:25am to 12:55pm, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Floor: Level 100, Room 115B

Abstract

Objective
This poster will present findings from a study of one large urban district’s efforts towards building capacity to foster equitable computer science education.

Theoretical framework
There is widespread acknowledgement that, in order to address the longstanding disparities in CS education and industry, educators must have the capacity to implement relevant, anti-racist CS pedagogy and curriculum, promote racial equity, and ensure meaningful engagement in CS learning for students who have historically been excluded in this field (Ryoo, 2019; Mirakhur, Fancsali & Hill, 2021). To address this need, the district in this study created a variety of learning opportunities with the aim of empowering educators to critically examine and improve their anti-racist practices, while simultaneously enhancing the rigor and relevance of the CS instruction they provide. The professional learning (PL) addresses individual, internalized racism (e.g., in the form of teacher racial bias) and interpersonal racism (e.g., in the form of teacher microaggressions toward students in the classroom). It also addresses institutional and structural racism (e.g., in the form of school culture, policy and practices). The goal is to create a web of support, including race-based affinity groups, for teachers to implement culturally-responsive-sustaining education (CR-SE) in their classrooms, and throughout the school.

The PL is informed by seminal work of authors such as Love (2019), Hammond (2015), Muhammad (2020), and Sealey-Ruiz (2021), and supports teachers in developing and implementing lessons that put CR-SE into practice using approaches such as Universal Design for Learning (Israel et al., 2020), ethnocomputing (Eglash, et al. 2013), and translanguaging (Vogel et. al., 2020). Teachers also create projects to address systemic inequities and get feedback and support from district staff as well as the community of teachers participating in the PL.

Data and Methods
We surveyed 614 teachers in grades K-12 who participated in district-sponsored CS professional development between 2016 and 2022. Almost half of these teachers had participated in some type of CR-SE-focused professional development. The survey asked about teachers’ attitudes and beliefs related to implementing CR-SE practices in CS classes, as well as implementation challenges, and self-efficacy in implementing equity-based practices.

Results and Findings
A majority of teachers reported high levels of confidence in their ability to use culturally responsive pedagogy to support student learning in CS. However, confidence varied depending on the topic. For example, teachers were much more comfortable using curricular materials that highlighted issues related to disabilities and language differences than sexual orientation. Further, we found important race differences in teachers’ attitudes about the value of CR-SE.
Teachers reported challenges to implementation including: lack of time to implement CR-SE; lack of culturally relevant CS instructional materials; and lack of expertise in CR-SE. Teachers also struggled with prioritizing CR-SE approaches, given the emphasis on covering CS content.

Significance
This work highlights the importance of building capacity beyond the technical skills associated with computing to include an explicit focus on providing equitable learning experiences. Findings from this study help to illuminate the challenges and opportunities related to equity-focused teacher professional development.

Authors