skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Predictors of K-12 CS Teacher Isolation and Course Offerings
Teacher isolation, where only one teacher at a school is teaching a particular subject, has been reported as one of the biggest challenges for computer science (CS) teachers in the US. However, the extent of CS teacher isolation has not been documented beyond teachers' self report. We use 14 years of middle and high school data from California to determine factors affecting the likelihood of CS being offered or a CS teacher being isolated at a school. We find that teachers in CS experience isolation at a higher rate than almost all other subjects and that larger schools are more likely to have one or more CS teachers. We extend prior work by showing that schools with a greater proportion of students underrepresented in computing are less likely to offer CS even when controlling for school size.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2144249
PAR ID:
10519251
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Publisher / Repository:
ACM
Date Published:
ISBN:
9798400706264
Page Range / eLocation ID:
35 to 42
Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
cs education education policy equity teacher isolation
Format(s):
Medium: X
Location:
Atlanta GA USA
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. null (Ed.)
    Prekindergarten to 12th-grade teachers of computer science (CS) face many challenges, including isolation, limited CS professional development resources, and low levels of CS teaching self-efficacy that could be mitigated through communities of practice (CoPs). This study used survey data from 420 PK–12 CS teacher members of a virtual CoP, CS for All Teachers, to examine the needs of these teachers and how CS teaching self-efficacy, community engagement, and sharing behaviors vary by teachers’ instructional experiences and school levels taught. Results show that CS teachers primarily join the CoP to gain high-quality pedagogical, assessment, and instructional resources. The study also found that teachers with more CS teaching experience have higher levels of self-efficacy and are more likely to share resources than teachers with less CS teaching experience. Moreover, teachers who instruct students at higher grade levels (middle and high school) have higher levels of CS teaching self-efficacy than do teachers who instruct lower grade levels (elementary school). These results suggest that CoPs can help CS teachers expand their professional networks, gain more professional development resources, and increase CS teaching self-efficacy by creating personalized experiences that consider teaching experience and grade levels taught when guiding teachers to relevant content. This study lays the foundation for future explorations of how CS education–focused CoPs could support the expansion of CS education in PK–12 schools. 
    more » « less
  2. null (Ed.)
    Research literature has documented how computer science (CS) teachers are often isolated in their schools and are less likely to collaborate as compared to other subject area teachers. This parallels an emerging body of literature around how teachers leverage professional development opportunities to engage in their practice. However, limited research has empirically studied how professional development opportunities lead to increases in teacher empowerment and spur broadening participation in CS efforts. In this study, we report on a networked improvement community (NIC) focused on connecting CS teachers to their peers, national experts, professional development providers, and researchers to impact teaching practices and guide implementation of policies that lead to increased female participation in CS courses. We report on the role of the NIC to support teachers as school and community change agents. Drawing from focus groups with participating teachers (n=20), we report on a two-year process of learning that involved identifying root causes for female underrepresentation and conducting teacher-led interventions within their classrooms and schools. We detail how a NIC offers a novel approach to facilitate collaboration and empower teachers to implement changes that can impact girls in computer science. Initial data indicate that the collaborative nature of the NIC and its teacher-directed approach to change led to a newfound sense of ownership and empowerment in NIC teachers for addressing the challenge of increasing female participation in CS. 
    more » « less
  3. Teacher self-efficacy (SE) has been observed to be an 'important construct for Computer Science (CS) teachers' professional development because it can predict both teaching behaviors as well as student outcomes" [1]. The purpose of the present study was to investigate teacher CS SE during a two-year federally funded professional development (PD) and curriculum development project for middle school teachers incorporating game-design and the Unity development platform. The research question investigated is: How does teacher self-efficacy for teaching computer science via game design with the Unity game development platform change during a year-long PD program? Investigations of teacher SE for teaching CS have resulted in some surprising results. For example, it has been reported that - There were no differences in self-efficacy based on teachers' overall level of experience, despite previous findings that teacher self-efficacy is related to amount of experience" and "no differences in self-efficacy related to the teachers' own level of experience with CS" [2], thus further study of CS teacher SE is warranted. Participants in this study were six middle school teachers from four middle schools in the southeastern United States. They participated in a year-long PD program learning the Unity game development platform, elements of game design, and foundations of learner motivation. Guided reflective journaling was used to track the teachers' SE during the first year of the project. Teachers completed journal prompts at four intervals. Prompts consisted of questions like "How do you currently feel about your ability to facilitate student learning with Unity?" and "Are you confident that you can implement the materials the way the project team has planned for them to be implemented?" Prior to beginning the project participants expressed confidence in being able to facilitate student learning after participating in the planned professional development, but there was some uneasiness about learning and using Unity. From a SE perspective their responses make sense, as all of the participants are experienced teachers and should have confidence in their general ability to teach. However, since Unity is a new programming environment for all of the teachers, they did not have the prior experience necessary to have a high degree of confidence that they could successfully use it with their students. 
    more » « less
  4. Many secondary school teachers in historically lower performing districts find themselves asked to teach CS without adequate training. They find themselves struggling to build a CS program without the environment necessary to foster student engagement and success. To improve educator preparedness, and transform school cultures, Innovating Detroit’s Robotics Agile Workforce (iDRAW) offers one year of co-instruction by a university instructor with a high school teacher to better prepare the teacher to provide rigorous CS instruction independently in future years. Reflections from this university co-instructor are contained, with insights into the preparation of CS teachers and initiation of CS courses in high schools in the future. 
    more » « less
  5. K-12 computer science (CS) teachers are often the only teachers of the subject at their school. Many school-based administrators and personnel lack the content knowledge to support their ongoing professional growth. How then can an ecosystem of support be developed to support K-12 CS teachers? We have created several tools aligned to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers that support administrators, instructional specialists, and teacher leaders to provide evidence-based feedback and promote the ongoing development of CS teachers at their schools. These tools, including a CS coaching toolkit and instructional practice evidence guide, have the potential to drive impactful, job-embedded development. 
    more » « less