Collaborative Research: Supporting High-Quality High School Computer Science Courses in Milwaukee by Strengthening Teacher Content Knowledge

To provide high-quality high-school computer science (CS) education experiences for every student in the nation, there is a critical need to develop professional learning programs to support teachers—many of whom did not receive CS instruction in their own educational experiences—to learn CS content and pedagogy. The American Institutes for Research and Marquette University (MU), in collaboration with Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and The Learning Partnership, will develop an innovative professional learning program for high school teachers called the CS Bootcamp Experience. The CS Bootcamp Experience will be aligned to the widely used Exploring Computer Science curriculum and combine CS content modules with monthly professional learning community meetings and classroom coaching support. By supporting MPS teachers to strengthen their CS content knowledge and teaching practices, this project will support more MPS high school students to have strong CS learning experiences and better prepare them to use CS in a variety of college and career pathways and to address challenges in their communities. The objectives of the CSforAll High School Strand Research-Practice Partnership are to (a) adapt an existing MU CS bootcamp course to create the CS Bootcamp Experience; (b) implement the CS Bootcamp Experience across 2 school years with a cohort of 15 MPS teachers, gathering feedback to inform improvements; and (c) generate evidence of the bootcamp’s effect—and, thereby, the potential effect of teacher CS content knowledge supports—on outcomes in MPS aligned with the Capacity, Access, Participation, Experience (CAPE) framework for promoting CS education. The project team will use design-based implementation research to support iterative improvements of the CS Bootcamp Experience. In addition to gathering direct feedback from teachers, the project will also monitor implementation of the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum and periodically assess teachers’ and students’ content knowledge, teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching CS, and students’ attitudes about CS. The project team will continually reflect on these data, using them to gain insight into the impact of the CS Bootcamp Experience on students and teachers and to inform iterative improvements. The project will have direct impact on 15 MPS teachers and 600 MPS students, improving their CS teaching and learning experiences. The CS Bootcamp Experience may also serve as a model for other districts for improving their teaching and implementation of ECS, potentially leading to strong CS learning experiences for high school students across Wisconsin and the nation. 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.