Creating Inclusive Computing Pathways at Iowa City Schools

• In Event: Creating Inclusive Computing Pathways at Five Unique School Districts: Understanding and Balancing Needs Across Districts

Abstract

Iowa City Schools, IA
Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) is a college-town district serving 14,000 students and is rapidly becoming more urban and diverse. As a member of Digital Promise’s League of Innovative Schools, ICCSD applied to participate in the National Science Foundation funded Developing Inclusive K-12 Computing Pathways for the League of Innovative Schools (CT Pathways) project to focus on developing an Inclusive K-12 Computing Pathway, or CT Pathway, aligning the computing courses available within the district. Specifically, ICCSD set an equity goal of focusing on improving access to computing for their black and Latinx students including students designated as English language learners. With the consistent growth of ICCSD City Schools, the district intends to address achievement gaps so as to increase participation in computing among minority and English Language Learner (EL’s) students. As detailed in ICCSD’s initial application to join Digital Promise on the grant, “It is our desire to reach the specific population of Black and Latinx students in an effort to broaden their participation in computing. These students face many barriers. Over 75% of IA’s Black and Latinx students qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch; and 25% and 45% of their Black and Latinx students, respectively, are English Language Learners. At the secondary level only 60% of Black students and 68% of Latinx students are proficient in math compared to 91% of our White students.”



Adam Kurth, Iowa City Schools, IA
Adam leads the Office of Technology & Innovation at the Iowa City Community School District, a PK-12 district serving 14,500 students in Iowa City, IA. In his sixth year in this role, Adam oversees the district’s work in the areas of information technology, instructional technology, data and research services, and spearheads computer science and computational thinking pathway development and implementation districtwide. Adam’s focus in terms of CS/CT implementation has been on equitable access to high-quality curriculum, where every student at every grade level is provided substantial instruction in and the opportunity to explore their own interests while developing skills in these critical competency areas. Adam is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at The University of Iowa.

Author

• Adam Kurth, Iowa City Community School District