Computer Science Education
What does computer science education work look like at WestEd? We invest our time in projects that promote equity, sustainability, and culturally-responsive practice.
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U.S. Department of Education
WestEd is serving as the external evaluator on a project that aims to improve access to elementary computer science education for English Learners. This project, a collaboration with the University of California, Irvine; Montebello Unified School District; and Fullerton Unified School District, develops and tests a curriculum that integrates computational thinking and English language arts in the elementary grades. WestEd is conducting an independent evaluation of the educational efficacy of the curriculum.
National Science Foundation
WestEd serves as the external evaluator for two California State University (CSU) programs focused on improving computer science education for undergraduate students.
This project examines the ways in which middle-school students transfer knowledge of a first programming language to a second programming language. The project aims to generate a domain-specific theory of transfer in computer science and a set of curricular scaffolds to support students’ transfer of knowledge between programming languages.
WestEd is the external evaluator for the professional development initiative created in collaboration between the University of Maryland and the University of Chicago. The project team will develop computer science teacher professional development for adapting Scratch Encore, a culturally relevant computer science curriculum, to local contexts.
WestEd serves as the external evaluator for the CSforALL Broadening Participation in Computing alliance. The alliance brings together content providers, education associations, researchers and other interest holders to provide all students with rigorous K–12 CS education.
This project examines how best to design certification courses, professional learning communities, and peer mentorship programs to prepare teachers of varying disciplinary and geographic backgrounds to equitably teach high school computer science courses.
This project supports secondary teachers in developing both subject matter knowledge and racial equity strategies for teaching CS.
Scaling MENTORS in CS is a research practice partnership between the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), CSTA Wisconsin Dairyland, CSTA New Jersey, the CSTA Black Affinity Group, and WestEd. The project examines impacts of the program on mentors and mentees, the role of contextual factors on the implementation of the program, and how best to design program resources to support quality mentoring relationships.
