Collaborative Research: CSforAll:RPP: Jumpstarting Philadelphia CSforAll through a Researcher Practitioner Partnership

In contrast to its neighbors Maryland, New York, and Ohio, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania does not require a Computer Science course for graduation and has not offered Computer Science certification at any level. Additionally, there is no statewide requirement for CS courses in the curriculum, and likewise a lack of teachers qualified to teach CS courses. These have contributed to a vicious cycle that is difficult to break, and which causes the School District of Philadelphia in particular to lag behind in educating students for computing in the 21st Century. The tide has begun to turn, however. After a suite of policy changes in the state since 2016, Pennsylvania announced the PAsmart initiative in November 2018, with statewide available grants available to schools and school districts for improving computer science and STEM education. The Jumpstarting Philly Researcher Practitioner Partnership aims to build upon this progress and efforts of CS4Philly, an affiliate of the national CSforALL consortium, and the Philadelphia STEM Ecosystem CS Workgroup. The project will bring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science instruction aligned with educational standards to all Philadelphia students, and address the lack of equitable access to certified CS educators in Philadelphia high schools. An Equity Task Force will study issues surrounding equity, both within the school structure and the supporting community, and an Academics Task Force will look at issues and strategies related to increasing access to CS teachers. By engaging stakeholders across institutions, the RPP builds capacity for improvement and scaling of efforts to bring CS education to all schools in the School District of Philadelphia. The Jumpstarting Philly Researcher Practitioner Partnership aims to bring equitable, inclusive, and high-quality computer science instruction aligned with educational standards to all Philadelphia students and address the lack of equitable access to certified CS educators in Philadelphia high schools through a Networked Improvement Community (NIC). This project partners the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), high school teachers and administrators, teacher associations, community and informal education organizations, high school students, parents, and researchers to address this by: offering multiple pathways to certification; identifying a diverse pool of potential CS educators; strengthening support and communities of practice for current and potential CS educators; and working with public sector stakeholders to develop a more effective policy framework that encourages a more diverse pool of CS educators. The NIC Steering Committee will work to develop a common agenda for an integrated approach to address systemic and institutional barriers to offering high-quality, equitable, and inclusive computer science education by certified CS educators to high school students within the School District of Philadelphia. Since organizational change requires both buy-in from leaders and the people empowered to change policy, pedagogies, and practices, the Equity Task Force will engage school district administrators, high school principals, high school teachers, parents, students, community organizations, and non-profits offering informal CS education opportunities, through a series of community meetings. By engaging stakeholders across institutions, the RPP builds capacity for improvement and scaling of change efforts to bring CS education to all School District of Philadelphia schools. 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.