Building an operating system for
Computer Science Education
Stories from the Field

“Stories from the Field” shares the experiences of people from four communities who have acted locally to advance computer science education nationally. The sites represent a range of locations, institutions, and strategies that demonstrate some of the different pathways others can take to further computer science education in their own communities. University faculty, curriculum developers, district administrators, teachers and others share their perspectives, their successful strategies, their biggest challenges and offer insights and recommendations for others.

In April and May 2013, researchers interviewed 3-7 individuals per site. The interviews began with a single, primary leader who then recommended others to participate. Researchers also reviewed effort artifacts and on-line resources.

Chicago

District Partnership

In 2008, a group of computer science teachers decided to change the computer science offerings available for Chicago students. Through the experience of trying (and failing) to secure NSF funding to support their effort, the group built and maintained relationships with district leaders, university professors, and teachers...read more

University of Alabama

Leading State Change

The state of Alabama is a pioneer in the effort to expand and improve computer science education for students. With many partners and collaborators, Jeff Gray, an associate professor in the computer science department at the University of Alabama, leads a variety of initiatives for students and training opportunities for teachers on...read more

Georgia

Expanding Over Time

The computer science effort in Georgia put down its roots about a decade ago and eventually led to computer science counting towards graduation statewide, four courses in computer science based on national standards, several computer science summer camps and weekend workshops for students, computer science teacher...read more

Purdue University

Preparing Teachers

The goal of the CS4EDU project at Purdue University is to create new pathways for undergraduate education majors to become computationally educated secondary teachers. This includes a joint effort between faculty in the Department of Computer Science and the College of Education to create a Computer Science Teaching...read more