Imagining a New Future for Technology: Engaging Parents and Families in Computer Science Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:45 pm - Gold 3
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring parents' perpsectives on school-technology engagement

Abstract

Parents and caregivers recognize the value of computer science (CS) education and want their children to learn to become informed creators and consumers of technology, including AI. Yet, most parents lack knowledge about what CS is (and isn’t) and often schools have limited access to these essential teaching and learning opportunities. To address these barriers, we collaborated with parents and caregivers to co-design a toolkit and workshop to uplift parent perspectives and engage them as advocates for more meaningful and equitable computing educational opportunities for all children. These paper findings outline best practices for parent learning and advocacy to improve computing education, offering valuable starting points for including parents and caregivers in educational transformation efforts.

Authors

• Jean J. Ryoo, University of California - Los Angeles

• Michelle Choi, University of California - Los Angeles

• Julie Flapan, University of California - Los Angeles

• Sharisa Chan, University of California - Los Angeles