LDSC members will develop a shared understanding of systemic barriers to equitable access to computer science education, district-specific challenges in providing computer science access for all students, and promising strategies supporting increased access and engagement for all.
- View the Digital Equity Walk. Think about what images, facts, or questions stand out to you the most and why.
- Read Seeking Equitable Computer Science Education in Massachusetts: How Well Are We Doing? and review the data shown in Figures 1-10.
- Prepare for a Meeting 3 Equity Jigsaw. You have been assigned to one of 2 DSC mini-teams, with at least one teacher on each team. Each team should review the assigned equity reading below and be prepared to discuss the questions that follow. DSC members may record their responses prior to the meeting in the shared Google doc provided.)
| Team 1 | Team 2 | Team 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Article: The State of Girls in K-12 Computer Science Classrooms | Article: Computer Science Learning: Closing the Gap | Article: Diversity Gaps in Computer Science: Exploring the Underrepresentation of Girls, Blacks and Hispanics |
Discussion Questions
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Discussion Questions
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Discussion Questions
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Participants will focus conversations about Seeking Equitable Computer Science Education in Massachusetts: How Well Are We Doing? around the following questions:
- What stood out to you?
- What seems more clear?
- What seems most critical?
- How are you thinking differently about girls and students of color?
- What story do you want to be able to tell about CS in your district?
- Breakout: Expert Reading Groups
- Participants breakout into reading groups with one facilitator in each group to share responses to the reading questions.
- Jigsaw groups – Groups are reassigned into two breakouts with half from each “expert” group in the breakout, with one facilitator in each group. Each group selects a timekeeper. The group discusses each reading in turn, using the following process:
- Expert readers from Team 1 share key points, promising strategies, and key questions raised from their assigned reading. (5)
- Whole group discusses implications/connections to their own district context. (5)
- Repeat with Team 2
- Whole Group Highlights
- Each breakout group shares the implications for their own district based on the readings and discussion.
- Interview 1-2 district stakeholders (teacher, student, parent, business or community partner) about equity gaps discussed in Meeting 3. Coordinate efforts to include as many stakeholder groups as possible. Sample questions:
- What do you already know, think, or feel about this gap?
- What experiences or information have helped shape your perceptions?
- Do you see this gap as an important one for our district to address? Why or why not?
- What changes or new ideas do you think might help us address this gap?
- What questions or concerns do you have about this gap and how we address it as a district?
- What advice do you have for our team as we think about increasing access to computer science for all our students?
- Review 1 promising practice provided by your TA lead when follow-up notes are sent.
- Read “Chapter 1: Build Common Purpose and Understanding” from Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Guidebook and Toolkit (Education Development Center 2019). Your DSC team will be using this approach to develop a driver diagram representing your theory of change for increasing equitable access to CS for all students in your district.
