Our research practice partnership (RPP) consists of Siena College faculty and educators from over 30 high schools. It developed out of a shared concern about the lack of access to and participation in high school CS classes in upstate New York. In 2019, we were working with teachers from four school districts, and today we are working with educators from 34 districts which includes three large high-needs and 10 rural districts. Most of these schools were offering little or no CS prior to working with us.
Siena is the institutional home of the RPP. It provides facilities for meetings and community CS events, and it houses the dual-enrollment CS program. Our RPP members engage regularly with each other through shared programming which includes PD, curriculum development, the dual-enrollment program, college classes taken for certification, and community CS events. Teachers are involved in curriculum and assessment development, and their input has shaped how the programming is structured and delivered. Teachers have co-presented with us at 6 regional and state teacher conferences. Our success has resulted in the college institutionalizing support for the dual-enrollment program. This engagement has created a robust professional learning community of CS educators.
To address our research questions, our RPP is collecting and analyzing student/teacher survey data and student demographic/grade data. To better understand the factors that challenge and promote equity for students, we also worked with teachers to develop a student interview protocol and are conducting student interviews. Preliminary results from these interviews have been incorporated into teacher PD activities on equity and have resulted in some curriculum changes.