Standardizing Facilitator Development for Exploring Computer Science Professional Development

Authors

Steven McGee, The Learning PartnershipFollow
John Wachen, The Learning PartnershipFollow
Lucia Dettori, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Don Yanek, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Faythe Brannon, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Andrew M. Rasmussen, Chicago Public SchoolsFollow
Dale F. Reed, University of Illinois at ChicagoFollow
Ronald I. Greenberg, Loyola University ChicagoFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2019

Publication Title

2019 Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)

Publisher Name

IEEE

Abstract

A key strategy for broadening CS participation

in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) has been the enactment

of a high school CS graduation requirement. The Exploring

Computer Science (ECS) curriculum and professional development

(PD) program serve as a core foundation for supporting

enactment of this policy. The CAFE´CS researcher-practitioner

partnership provides support for ECS implementation in CPS.

An important part of the sustainability of the ECS PD model in

CPS is the development of local workshop facilitators. Potential

facilitators have generally been selected based on the CAFE´CS

team’s personal familiarity with active ECS teachers. Once

selected, teachers engage in a two-year apprenticeship program

to become facilitators. However, in the three years since the

enactment of the policy, the number of ECS teachers and

students has grown significantly. This rapid expansion of the CS

teaching force has strained the ability to confidently identify new

facilitators from a large pool of teachers and ensure consistency

of workshop implementation. As a result, CAFE´CS is exploring

how to supplement the ECS Facilitator Development Model

through a proactive recruitment model and explicit support for

the mentoring process.

Recommended Citation

Steven McGee, John Wachen, Lucia Dettori, Don Yanek, Faythe Brannon, Andrew M. Rasmussen, Dale F. Reed, and Ronald I. Greenberg. Standardizing facilitator development for exploring computer science professional development. In Proceedings of 2019 Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT), February 2019.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.