Schools throughout the United States are engaging in efforts to integrate computational thinking (CT) across various elementary curricula. However, there is very little guidance for effective approaches to integrating CT consistently and cohesively school wide. CT Readiness for All is a two-year research project that is investigating a CT framework and self-assessment tool developed to articulate indicators associated with successful school-wide integration across elementary curricula. Data sources include focus group interviews and surveys with teachers. Although the project is still in progress, early analysis have resulted in three key findings: (a) students were able to make cross-curricular connections using CT as a problem-solving process; (b) finding time within the school day to focus on CT is challenging; and (c) administrators need to take an active role in setting the vision and definition of CT to support school-wide CT efforts.

Over the last decade, substantial strides have been made in the CS for All movement, with the widespread the enactment of policies that promote the implementation of CS education in K-12 schools. Despite this progress, at the current rate of growth, it is estimated that it will take four decades to actually reach CS for all students. This sobering finding highlights the urgent need to understand why so many schools are lagging in implementation, and to identify solutions that could address this gap.

CS for All initiatives have grown around the country, aiming to help build a technologically skilled workforce, increase diversity in the CS field, and provide students with the computing skills needed to be successful. However, we do not currently have enough educators to meet the swelling demand for CS instruction across grade levels. Further, schools of education are not offering sufficient CS courses to prepare new teachers in anywhere near the volume required. To address this gap, many districts are providing in-service professional development to build teachers' capacity to deliver high-quality CS instruction at scale. This paper presents findings from one large urban district's capacity-building efforts, which have consisted of a variety of in-service professional development (PD) opportunities, along with follow-up school support visits (SSVs) that include coaching and the use of a teacher-learner-observer (TLO) model. Specifically, we explore the influence of the SSVs on teacher's confidence in their ability to provide equitable, high-quality CS instruction. These findings contribute to our understanding of effective strategies to build teachers? capacity at the scale that is necessary to accomplish the goals of CS for All.

Elementary schools throughout the United States are attempting to integrate computational thinking (CT) into their instruction, often without guidance from research about effective approaches for achieving particular CT goals. This cross-case study investigated the school-wide integration of CT in three elementary schools in a large urban school district in the Northeast that has a district-led CS for All initiative. Data included interviews with teachers, professional development providers, and school administrators as well as surveys from teachers and classroom observations in each participating school. Findings revealed three distinct approaches to integration: (a) single teacher leader-driven model, (b) scaffolded professional development model, and (c) intensive coaching model. These approaches reflect the visions set by administrators and teachers, methods used by professional development providers, and cultures of each school. Across the case studies, common pedagogical approaches included strategic use of both unplugged and plugged activities with a range of computational tools, a focus on collaborative project-based learning, and the use of CT-specific academic language to anchor new CT learning within the academic disciplines. The study highlighted advantages and challenges within each integration approach with implications for schools considering CT integration.

CS for All initiatives have emerged around the country in the last decade with the hopes of addressing the growing call for all students to have opportunities to be proficient computational thinkers and to be exposed to computer science (CS) curriculum throughout their educational careers. As districts and states grapple with the realities of implementing such initiatives, they must address a key barrier: a lack of teacher capacity to teach CS. NYC's Computer Science for All (CS4All) is a 10-year, districtwide initiative aimed at providing high-quality computer science (CS) education to all public-school students. To address teacher capacity issues, the district has designed and implemented professional development (PD) with the goal of providing high-quality training to nearly 5,000 teachers by 2025. We conducted online surveys with about 1,500 teachers who participated in the multi-day professional development to assess the early outcomes of this effort. Results from two years of surveys offer insight into professional development quality, teacher confidence, ability of teachers to implement CS in their classrooms, and supports and barriers to offering CS (even in a district where CS is a priority). They also provide insight into how supports and barriers differ in schools serving students with high economic needs compared to schools serving students with lower economic needs. The successes and challenges highlighted by these data inform the work of other districts and states around the country engaged in similar efforts.

This study investigated school-wide integration of computational thinking (CT) in elementary schools of: 1) systems-level approaches to integration; 2) teachers' understanding and implementation of CT integration, and 3) challenges to integration. Data sources include interviews with teachers, professional development (PD) providers, principals as well as implementation observations. Findings revealed three distinct approaches: (a) Lone STEM teacher implementer, (b) PD scaffolded approach, and (c) Whole school coach-in-residence approach. Teachers generally viewed CT in the context of problem-solving. Although struggles and challenges existed in all three schools, administrators, PD providers, and teachers all had a high commitment to CT integration.

NYC's Computer Science for All (CS4All) is a 10-year, districtwide initiative aimed at providing high-quality computer science (CS) education to all NYC public school students. It aspires to greatly increase the number of students, teachers, and schools exposed to CS in NYC, and to offer meaningful learning experiences that build on prior exposure and skills at every grade level. These plans include providing high-quality professional development (PD) to some 5,000 teachers, designed to help them learn new programs and pedagogies in CS education, as well as strategies for integrating CS into existing courses. This paper presents findings from an assessment of CS in NYC, conducted in the second year of the CS4All initiative. Using a telephone survey of a representative sample of schools, we describe the current state of CS programming and training in the City. Overall, we found high participation in CS teacher training opportunities (both through and independent of the initiative) and widespread offering of CS courses Specifically, we estimate just over half of schools districtwide (56%) participated in some type of CS training in the 2015-16 school year, and about two thirds of schools (64%) offered students some kind of CS coursework in the 2016-17 school year (through either stand-alone CS courses or the integration of CS into other subjects). The type of programming and training varied by school level (elementary, middle and high). We also explored the extent to which programming and training are reaching schools and students who are historically underrepresented in CS--including women and girls, students of color, low-income students and students with disabilities. We found that schools offering CS courses and activities served fewer Black and Latino students and more White and Asian Students, compared with schools not offering CS. This work is unique, as it is the only districtwide assessment of CS education conducted anywhere in the country to date, thus adding to an under-researched but important and growing field of study

The objective of this session is to increase evaluator capacity to study CS education initiatives and to share knowledge and resources with the CS education research community. We plan to use the session to share our own experience as evaluators of the NYC CS4All initiative, and to brainstorm effective strategies and approaches to address the challenges inherent in evaluating such efforts. In the session, we will pay particular attention to identifying and developing reliable and valid measures of teacher, student and district outcomes.