Developing a Community-Driven, Culturally Responsive-Sustaining, and Expansive Computer Science Ecosystems in Chicago and Beyond

This project will bring together a multidisciplinary team of researchers, community organizations, practitioners, and professionals to formulate a proposal towards creating a robust computer science education ecosystem in Chicago, with a particular focus on serving Black and Brown communities. The project team represents organizations and individuals who have had marked success at advancing expansive computer science education in schools and after-school programs, and across K-16+ contexts Furthermore, team members share a commitment to advancing community-driven work, supporting robust educator development, facilitating intergenerational participation, and finding creative ways to make out-of-school learning “count” for school-based assessment. The proposal will study how to develop a consistent, coordinated, and community-driven set of learning experiences that ensure that youth have access to expansive computer science from elementary school all the way through corporate or entrepreneurial opportunities. This includes developing a framework for the spectrum of pedagogical practices, content, assessment, and community embeddedness of CS experiences in minoritized communities. Finally, by including scholars from throughout the United States we intend to think about aspects of the model that can inform work in Chicago, and to consider policy changes that might need to be implemented to grow a similar approach in other geographies.