Equity, accessibility and action: supporting diverse learners in K-12 computer science education

Computer science impacts our lives every day in a multitude of ways. Despite its ubiquity and power to shape the world, the computer science education community continues to struggle with issues of equity. Problems of access, opportunity, influence and achievement are pervasive and while a handful of scholars have investigated specific approaches to improving equity in computer science education, little research has been done to study the beliefs and practices of teachers in the field across all grade levels and from varied locales. Using a basic qualitative approach, this study examined how 10 teachers selected for an equity-oriented fellowship conceptualized equity in computer science education and used a wide assortment of strategies to create equitable access and outcomes for diverse learners both within and beyond their classrooms. To achieve a deeper understanding, fellowship data was analyzed and compared across all fellows and multiple data types for similarities and differences. Implications for research, and practice are discussed

Women in STEM: The Effect of Undergraduate Research on Persistence

The underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers constitutes a major issue in postsecondary science education. Perseverance of women in STEM is linked to a strong science identity. Experiential learning activities, such as undergraduate research, increase science identity and thus should help keep women in STEM. Most studies on research program development are from 4-year institutions, yet many women start at community colleges. The goal of this study was to fill this gap. Science identity and experiential learning theories provided the framework for this case study at a local institution (LECC). Semistructured interviews determined college science faculty and administrators perceptions of advantages and disadvantages of undergraduate research, the viability of developing a research program, and specific research options feasible for LECC. Transcripted data were analyzed through multiple rounds of coding yielding five themes: faculty perception of undergraduate research, authentic experiences, health technologies/nursing programs, LECC students career focus, and the unique culture at LECC. The most viable type of undergraduate research for LECC is course-based and of short timeframe. The project study advocates the use of citizen science (CS) studies in the classroom as they are relatively short-term and can take the place of lab sessions. The true benefit is that students perform authentic science by contributing to an actual scientific research project. CS projects can effect social change by developing science literate citizens, empowering faculty to create authentic learning experiences, and by sparking interest in science and directing women into STEM careers

Critical environmental agency in a field ecology program

Attending to global environmental concerns calls for renewed efforts in environmental education and environmental literacy. Important questions regarding equity and access also need to be considered (NAAEE, 2011). Therefore, a goal of this study was to develop a framework for Critical Environmental Agency (CEA) that builds on the work of science education equity scholars (Calabrese Barton & Tan, 2008; Tan, Calabrese Barton, Turner, & Gutiérrez, 2012) while incorporating specific components of environmental education (Greenwood, 2013; NAAEE, 2011). An additional goal of this study was to expand and broaden the understanding of how diverse youth engage in environmental education come to see themselves as people who care about the environment and are resolved to help create a more just world. Finally, this study used CEA as a way to qualitatively assess youths’ environmental literacy development. Using a critically-oriented sociocultural perspective, I conducted a largely qualitative ethnographic study, which explored the CEA development of 16 diverse youth from low income families who had not attended college. The youth participated in a field ecology program focused on herpetology (the study of reptiles and amphibians) that was a part of a larger multi-year college access program. Data collected included: individual interviews, photovoice focus groups, photovoice assignments, pre/post-tests, pre/post surveys and observations and field notes. Data analyses focused on how youths’ experiences were leveraged to develop CEA, how youths’ CEA was enabled, and how youths’ CEA was constrained. The findings of this study inform our understanding of how diverse youth engage in environmental education and strengthen their CEA. Youths’ CEA was most often enabled when they had opportunities to explore their local communities, were given the freedom to make decisions during community explorations, and were provided with multiple opportunities to engage in the practices of field ecology, as success did not always come on their first attempt. The findings also inform our understanding of obstacles that hinder youths’ CEA development. Obstacles in this study included youths’ limited understanding of local environmental issues, their own views of themselves as not “outdoors” or “science” people, and their thoughts that urban environments were divorced from nature. Implications from this study suggest that youth should be afforded opportunities to act upon, even if in small ways, what they come to see as important for their community’s environmental wellbeing

Catching Up to Move Forward: A Computer Science Education Landscape Report of Hawai‘i Public Schools, 2017–2020

A Computer Science Education Landscape Report of Hawai‘i Public Schools, 2017–2020This report is a computer science education landscape report and presents results of a study conducted by the Curriculum Research & Development Group in the College of Education at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa on behalf of the Hawai‘i Department of Education (HIDOE) in 2020. The purpose of the report is to examine the landscape of public school K–12 computer science education in Hawai‘i, particularly after the passing of Act 51 (HRS 302A-323). Results here are based on analysis of data from the Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) and national data systems; data from a HIDOE survey of 492 K–12 educators and administrators; and 5 follow-up sets of interviews with educators, administrators, industry partners, and the state computer science education team. Key findings include the following: - a rapid increase of computer science activities between 2017 and 2020; - a total 33 public high schools and 11 combination schools offering computer science courses, which is 100% of high schools; - an increase of 89.6% for AP CS Principles and 28.7% for AP CS A from SY 2017–18 to SY 2018–19 exam takers; - an increase from 6.8% to 22.7% of Title I schools that offered AP CS courses from SY 2017–18 to SY 2019–20; - a need for a process of feedback and support for computer science education activities; - a high percentage of schools using programs like Code.org and Scratch; - minimal to no change in the proportion of participation by girls, Native Hawaiian students, and other underrepresented minorities in formal course enrollment; - an increase in girls’ participation in AP CS exam taking, but not in the overall proportion of CS course enrollment; - an increase in the presence of computer science opportunities in Title I schools; - a tension of time needed to implement computer science education and other initiatives; - a lack of incorporation of elements of the HĀ framework; and - a high number of ESSA highly-qualified teachers, but a low number of teachers licensed in computer science. The intent of the authors is to provide - a comparison of Hawai‘i to national computer science education trends; - a description of the current K–12 computer science opportunities in Hawai‘i public schools; - a broad report of the research results from survey, interview, and document data; and - a set of recommendations for addressing the local issues that this data uncovers. Recommendations include - maintaining continuity and sustainability of CS Initiatives; - creating additional subsidies for AP examinations; - establishing common language around computer science education; - developing pathways toward computer science college majors and careers; - creating effective supports for teachers; - rethinking traditional teaching models; and - committing to equity and access.Developed for the Hawai‘i Department of Education under MOA D20-111 CO-20089. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Hawai‘i Department of Education and should not be viewed as endorsed by the state government

Building Expectations, Delivering Results: Asset-Based Financial Aid and the Future of Higher Education

American society reflects considerable class immobility, much of which is due to the wide gap in college completion rates between advantaged and disadvantaged groups of students. This report discusses the factors that cause unequal college completion rates and introduces assets as an explanation stratification scholars often ignore. The following chapters are included in this report: From a Debt-Dependent to an Asset-Based Financial Aid ModelInstitutional Facilitation and CSA (Child Savings Account) EffectsCSAs as an Early Commitment Financial Aid StrategyFrom Disadvantaged Students to College Graduates: The Role of CSAsHow CSAs Facilitate Saving and Asset AccumulationPolicy Discussio

A Matter of Rhetoric: The Diversity Rationale in Political Context

This article argues that Grutter v. Bollinger’s reliance on the diversity rationale for affirmative action in higher education was proper because diversity is better suited to the political purpose of preserving minority political gains than the preferred scholarly theories of historical remediation or current discrimination; considering the political impact of a decision and its rhetoric – the way it frames public discourse – is the appropriate province of the judiciary where the interests of discrete and insular minorities are at issue.Diversity has political utility for the reasons that most scholars criticize it: because diversity is a malleable and indefinite concept which may describe white students as well as it does people of color. While shifty notions like diversity are viewed with skepticism in the legal academy, they are well suited to political ends like coalition building. The article also exposes the political flaws in the justifications for affirmative action that scholars prefer and shows how their use in the political arena might do damage to minority political gains by catalyzing potentially destructive political conflict. Finally, the article takes a close look at Justice O’Connor’s majority opinion in Grutter and argues that it is a self-consciously political ruling that has the effect of framing the political and legal discourse in a manner that affirms the limited political power people of color enjoy

Leading for Equity: Understanding the influences, realities, resistance, and beliefs around tracking and acceleration in suburban school districts

Inequity and marginalization exist within educational structures, policies, and practices. As such, practitioners, like district-level leaders need a clearer understanding of the barriers and their role in making meaning and shaping progress to overcome the disconnect between their beliefs, data, and meaningful and sustainable action. This study sought to understand regional efforts and influences of district leaders around issues of academic tracking and acceleration. As a result of a desire for transformation, this qualitative research study closely examined high-level district leaders by analyzing how they view academic tracking and acceleration within their organizations, how they address issues of equity within acceleration and course tracking systems, and how they navigate what they say gets in the way of de-tracking efforts. The study focused on the following three research questions: What are the realities and beliefs of district leaders around issues of tracking and acceleration? How do district leaders address tracking and acceleration within their middle and high schools? and How does regional influences and pressure impact decision-making and change efforts? Twelve district leaders consisting of Superintendents of Schools and Assistant Superintendents / Directors of Curriculum & Instruction from six suburban school districts within one region of New York State participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured, joint, and focus group interviews, participant observations, and artifacts / historical document reviews. The data was informed by a conceptual framework that combined the tracking reform framework of Oakes (1992), the equity-focused change framework for school leadership by Radd, Generett, Gooden, and Theoharis (2021), and Theoharis and Scanlan’s (2015) practices for socially just leadership. Both inductive and deductive coding were utilized to generate categories and themes for the qualitative data as part of the analysis. For the supplemental, yet very limited, quantitative/descriptive data used within this study, proportional representation and disproportionality were the primary concepts used for analysis. Additionally, pivot tables and 100% stacked bar charts were used to represent the descriptive data. Results of this study revealed that regionally there are many oppressive patterns that are allowed to exist within the suburban districts / schools. Moreover, the study’s findings indicated that the leaders all have good intentions, but little is done to disrupt tracking within the districts / schools. The study suggests that district leaders need to employ collective efforts and strategies, all of which require educators to actively work together to influence, change, and counteract pressures that create inequity within academic tracking and acceleration programs, to eliminate barriers and ensure access for all students

Exploring Latinidad: Latina Voice and Cultural Awareness in a Catholic Female Single-Sex High School

This study focused on the perceptions of 16 Latina students regarding their cultural school climate as well as the thoughts of two administrators and six teachers at an all-female Catholic high school. Students revealed that, while they felt very supported by the school’s faculty and administration, they revealed that their culture was not fully embraced and/or represented in their educational curriculum and school’s practices. Students also alluded to deliberately choosing and valuing to spend their free time with their family over their classmates. Further, they felt disconnected from their school’s mission, which emphasized sisterhood among students. Furthermore, bicultural students provided a unique perspective often not fitting the Latina and/or dominant culture at the school

FACTORS IN THE SUCCESS OF FEMALE COMPUTING MAJORS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Historically, the role of women in computing changes over time as does their presence in the field. In 1985, 37% of computer science bachelor’s degree recipients were women, but in recent years, that number has decreased and currently holds at, around, 18%. Using a mixed methods approach, the study looked at the success of women enrolled in a computing degree program at a community college and the impact that self-efficacy, involvement in academic support opportunities, and profession perception influences persistence to successfully complete a computing course. Using Astin’s Student Involvement theory (1984; 1999) and Astin’s Involvement – Environment – Output (I-E-O) theory (1991; Pottle-Fewer, n.d) as a theoretical framework, course success data, in two gateway courses, and a self-assessment survey of self-efficacy, support participation, and profession perception, was used as quantitative data. Qualitative information was obtained through follow-up interviews of female students enrolled in the courses. This research found that the low success rates in the classes and the lack of resources used by participants supported Astin’s theory of student Involvement as the I-E-O model is incomplete

University of South Dakota 2023 AASHE STARS Assessment Report

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