Scaling high school computer science: Exploring computer science and computer science principles
Changing the landscape of computer science education at the high school level is a key component of several initiatives of (1) the National Science Foundation (NSF), e.g., as the cornerstone of the CE21 program partnered with academic institutions and (2) the private sector with both non-profits such as Code.org, CodeVA, and MassCan; and for-profits such as Tynker, CodeHS, and Trinket. This collaboration between privately and publicly funded initiatives is designed to reach every student; and to achieve this at scale. This special session brings together leaders from four groups working specifically on reaching teachers at very-large-scale, a necessary first step in reaching every student. These groups have worked to scale both Exploring Computer Science [1-3](ECS) and Computer Science Principles [4, 5] (CSP) on a national scale - having already implemented very different approaches to reaching a large number of teachers. Two presenters talk about their initiatives to expand Computer Science Principles/NSF projects on a national scale using MOOCs funded under the new Google CS4HS program. One presenter, who oversees outreach efforts for Exploring Computer Science, discusses a different, more hands-on and personal approach, to expanding via partnerships that include NSF-sponsored projects at local and state levels and Code.org partnerships with large school districts. These leaders report on work completed and the lessons learned that will impact ongoing and future work to help the community broaden participation in computer science while scaling and facilitating communities teachers and students. In the past, several special sessions, panels, and papers have presented the work of ECS and CSP [6, 7]. This session highlights new approaches that have already been implemented, and that will continue in the next years to reach communities of teachers at scale. We will discuss the synergies and benefits enabled by these different approaches, the limits of each, and the lessons that can be used by others contemplating similar approaches. The sessions will provide an opportunity for input from the educational community, and how the community can actively contribute to these efforts.
