As we launch into a new academic year, I can’t help but be excited by the amazing momentum I am currently feeling in computer science education.
This past summer marked a steady march forward by hundreds of computer science teachers as they joined professional learning communities to further build the knowledge and skills to broaden participation in computing for students. The Exploring Computer Science program offered eight weeklong summer institutes across the nation. The Computer Science Principles program expanded its number of pilot teachers and offered intensive professional development for dozens of teachers. Never before has such a cohesive and large-scale effort at broadening participation taken hold in our community.
And the conferences! The CSTA Conference was a huge success and included a variety of workshops and sessions for attending participants. At the AP Annual Conference later the same week, leading computer science education supporters stood together during the keynote address to introduce the new AP Computer Science Principles course to the national education audience. Following this keynote, the largest contingent of CS teachers to ever attend this conference carried this momentum into several sessions related to CS Principles and Exploring Computer Science.
There was even national media coverage as the Today show covered Code.org’s mission to further expand and broaden computer science teaching and learning for all students.
Taken together, this incredible wave of success is an indicator of the incredible collaboration and commitment by teachers and other educators to strengthen the curriculum, pedagogy, and policies of computer science education.
I can’t wait to see what comes next!
Joanna Goode
CSTA Equity Chair