Computer Science for All (CS for All) initiatives are increasingly present in districts nationwide, however there is much to be learned from new approaches, particularly at the elementary level. The CS for All Springfield Researcher-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) proposes a four-year plan to integrate standards-based computer science and computation thinking (CS/CT) concepts, learning progressions, and practices in core curricula across all Springfield Massachusetts K-5 public schools. The Partnership's primary intended long-term outcomes are (1) to prepare a diverse student population, including English learners, students with disabilities, underserved race and ethnicities, and students experiencing poverty, "to effectively use and create technology to solve complex problems" that they need post-high school for college and career, and (2) to grow the expertise for CS/CT teaching and learning within the District. Springfield has the second largest public-school district in Massachusetts and includes 33 elementary and other schools that serve almost 12,000 K-5 students, staffed by more than 1,000 teachers. Reaching 1,000 teachers and 12,000 students is a significant challenge. "Gateway" cities, such as Springfield are important incubators of innovation. By focusing on K-5, the partnership has an opportunity to design curricula that includes all students in CS/CT teaching and learning and, if successful, create a sustainable model that will influence other, diverse, medium-to-large urban districts. The Partnership will develop an innovative, collaborative instructional support network for teachers implementing the new curricula pilots and district-wide implementation and provide professional development for teachers and school leaders on the fundamental concepts, standards, curricula, tools and pedagogy for computer science and computational thinking, and on evidence-based collective inquiry and improvement of practice. CS for All Springfield will enable teachers to gain the skills and confidence to create an effective and equitable learning environment, which will reach Springfield's large number of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students and put them on a path that prepares them to use technology and computational thinking in middle school, high school, college and careers.
The established CS for All Springfield researcher-practitioner partnership of learning science, educational policy, social science and computer science researchers, experienced evaluators, teachers, school and district leaders, instructional and IT specialists, and curriculum coordinators will undertake an ambitious and innovative approach. The project will couple Design-Based Implementation Research; a series of agile, iterative and collaborative pilots and at-scale implementations informed by and informing research and evaluation; a strategy for using external and embedded professional development; and cross-school professional learning communities (PLC) linked with current school-based PLCs. The research questions will focus on the characteristics and challenges and opportunities in implementation of the dyadic PLC; changes in students' learning, interest, and skills; and the barriers to and opportunities for a successful CS for All implementation.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
