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The computer science (CS) for All movement has brought increasing opportunities in middle and high school, and there is a growing body of research on how to increase students' interest and knowledge. But little attention is paid to the structural factors that support or undermine student persistence in CS during the transition to college, which is where the most vulnerable students leave the pathway [1], [2]. In this paper we will describe how our researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP) has built a cross-sector collaboration to align structures and supports across a local school district, community college, and Latinx youth-serving non-profit organization. This work is guided by the following research question: What factors help or hinder cross-sector collaborations from building structural supports for students to persist in Computer Information Systems (CIS)? Data include interviews of teachers and counselors, and notes from monthly RPP meetings including key stakeholders and designers of the pathway. Data analysis was guided by the absorptive capacity framework, which describes readiness to “value new information, assimilate it, and apply it in novel ways as part of organizational routines, policies and practice” [3]. The findings highlight key strategies that others can use to foster cross-sector partnerships that build sustainable, structural supports for student persistence in CS, including having a broker help translate organizational tensions and identify points of opportunities to create authentic engagement opportunities.
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Building community resilience through cross‐sector partnerships and interdisciplinary research
Abstract Building community resilience has become a national imperative. Substantial uncertainties in dynamic environments of emergencies and crises require real‐time information collection and dissemination based on big data analytics. These, in turn, require networked communities and cross‐sector partnerships to build lasting resilience. This viewpoint article highlights an interdisciplinary approach to building community resilience through community‐engaged research and partnerships. This perspective leverages existing community partnerships and network resources, undertakes an all‐hazard and whole‐community approach, and evaluates the use of state‐of‐the‐art information communication technologies. In doing so, it reinforces the multifaceted intergovernmental and cross‐sector networks through which resilience can be developed and sustained.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1952792
- PAR ID:
- 10451539
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Public Administration Review
- Volume:
- 83
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0033-3352
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1415 to 1422
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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This study explores how underrepresented students in computing departments at Hispanic-Serving Institutions develop discipline-based identities and the departmental practices that support their retention and identity development. Departments were affiliated with the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) a cross-sector network dedicated to increasing Hispanic representation in computing through partnerships and inclusive practices. Interviews with students, faculty, and chairs illustrate the vital role of peer community in student retention and highlights the many ways that departments foster and support inclusive peer learning environments.more » « less
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This study investigates a university-community partnership focused on broadening participation for girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Stakeholders across partner organizations (an informal learning community organization and a public research university) call the success and longevity of the collaboration "magic" because of the commitment required to maintain it despite partnership complexities and few formal incentives. Using qualitative inquiry and sensemaking/ sensegiving frameworks, this article elucidates the "magic" behind the partnership. Findings emphasize individual motivations and behaviors, program collaboration obstacles, and collective partnership identity impacting the program's sustainability (i.e., magic). This study can inform research and practice related to improving access into STEM pathways for underrepresented populations through education partnerships that often experience resource constraints alongside the organizational complexities of cross-sector engagement.more » « less
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Due to increasing climate variability and change, the need for more accessible, timely, and reliable climate information has risen, particularly in African rain-fed smallholder farming communities. Yet, studies on the role of information sources in climate resilience are limited. Given the plurality of climate information sources, it is uncertain which medium offers better chances to build resilience against the changing climate. To fill this gap, we employed quantitative survey data from smallholder agricultural households in the Mzimba District in Malawi (n =1090) and the Upper West Region of Ghana (n =1100). Our findings reveal that in Malawi, households whose primary source of climate information was the mass media (OR =2.37; p ≤ 0.001) and external organizations (government, private sector, and nonprofit sector) (OR =2.11; p ≤0.001) were over two times more likely to rate their resilience as good compared to those who relied primarily on self-experience. While in Ghana, interpersonal sources (other farmers, friends/ relatives, special activities by the community) significantly increased a household’s odds (OR = 3.46; p ≤0.001) of reporting good resilience, while external sources reduced farmers’ likelihood of reporting climate resilience (OR =0.06; p ≤0.001) compared to those who relied primarily on self-experience. Farmers in Malawi who practiced intercropping were also more likely to rate their resilience as good than those engaged in monocropping. The findings suggest that the relevance of information sources on climate change resilience is place-specific and that some sources may impede resilience-building if contextual factors are sidelined. This finding reaffirms the need for context-specific policies due to the heterogeneity of agrarian communities across Africa.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13697
