Bolstering computer science equity in the rural southwest: “CS-for-All SCRIPT” educator training
Abstract: Computer science education is not equitably nor sustainably taught in the rural southwest. To combat inequitable computer science education in these schools, the authors coordinated a teacher education workshop with a computer science education non-profit. Two school district teams, each with five members of different levels (district administration, school administration, teachers, and non-instructional school staff) participated in the online workshop. Through this workshop, participants were able to assess their current capacity, resources, barriers, and support network for implementing computer science in their district. Teams were then asked to develop a strategic plan with short, medium, and long-term goals and overall vision for computer science education. Participants were given tools to attain buy-in from administration The two-day workshop was designed to empower educators to engage in computer science pedagogy that is attainable for all students in an equitable fashion. Participants also attended focus groups. This presentation demonstrates the effectiveness of implementing this workshop for rural southwest educators. Participants felt sufficiently more prepared. Participants also stated that they felt prepared to approach administration for support in computer science curricula endeavors. Participants felt able to address barriers to implementation of curricula and develop strategies to circumvent these barriers.
Presider: JAYMISON MILLER