Developing a Research-Practice Partnership to Support Computer Science Education in New Mexico’s Underserved High Schools

Only 3% of New Mexico high school students took a foundational computer science (CS) course in 2022-2023, in part due to a lack of access to such courses, especially those that integrate culturally responsive instruction. In 2024, the New Mexico State Legislature mandated that all high schools shall offer at least one computer science course. To support these efforts, this high school strand research-practice partnership between New Mexico State University, the New Mexico Public Education Department, the CS Alliance, the CS Teachers Association of New Mexico, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation, aims to understand how to prepare teachers to teach a culturally responsive, rigorous CS curricula that meet the needs of students in rural New Mexico communities. The project will provide pathways for high school teachers to obtain an endorsement in CS, by completing 60 hours of professional development that include community-centered, service-learning activities within the AP Computer Science Principles curriculum. This RPP will study how a professional development program will impact high school teachers’ perception and attitudes towards CS and CS teaching and learning, how the AP CS Principles course materials need to be modified to support rural students in New Mexico, and examine how external factors (e.g., school, community) impact teachers’ attitudes and perceptions about CS and CS teaching and learning. This project’s ability to impact teacher attitudes and beliefs is rooted in Social Learning Theory and Cultural Constructionism. Survey instruments will be employed and adapted to understand teacher dispositions and how they are tied to teacher motivation, curriculum adoption, culturally responsive instruction adaptation, and classroom climate and practice. Working closely with RPP partners, the project aims to create a professional development program that is adaptable to local needs while still meeting the CS AP standards using a Design-Based Implementation Research approach to collaboration. The RPP team will also study the efficacy of online and hybrid instruction to scale, retain, and sustain these practices in their respective school districts, communities, and institutions. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.