The University of Chicago proposes a project to develop an online resource of tools and recommendations for K-12 computer science leaders in schools and districts. The Toolkit will use three organizational frameworks--implementation pathways, user needs by role, and topical Q&As--to make it as useful as possible. The Toolkit will curate existing resources and tools currently under development, and it will generate new tools, reports, and recommendations, all focused on helping education leaders make well-informed decisions about their computer science programs. The goal of this project is to present the best available, timely information about developing and leading a K-12 computer science education effort in a format that is easily accessible to school district and state leaders, empowering them to make stronger decisions in their efforts to broadly change educational outcomes.
This is an unprecedented time for the computer science education field as funding, public awareness, and employment needs are all merging for potentially coordinated support. The committed, long-standing leaders of the computing community, however, have little experience in leading larger, distract-based efforts. This project brings expertise from mathematics and science education reform communities to the newly emerging computing efforts. The Toolkit will translate this experience into the context of computer science and, thus, will contribute to a foundation of knowledge on the design, implementation, and evaluation of computer science education investments. The work will increase the scale and effectiveness of computer science teaching and learning. It will leverage and accelerate the many efforts already underway.
