BPC-DP: Integrated Math and Computer Science (IMaCS) Teacher Professional Development Project

While some Mississippi school districts will be able to meet the requirements of the 2021 Mississippi Computer Science and Cyber Education Equality Act, access to computer science education for all Mississippi students will not be realized until there are opportunities for teacher professional development that speak directly to the needs and contexts of teachers in urban schools that serve large populations of underrepresented students in computing. This research-practice partnership between Jackson State University and Jackson Public School aims to enhance the computer science learning experiences of JPS students, especially those underrepresented in computing, by elevating the quality of CS Professional Development for sixth-grade teachers— a critical transition point for students.

The project has potential to advance the field of computer science education and training, support diversity and educational attainment of individuals in an urban school district, and benefit society by preparing all students for future careers in computing.

This preK-8 strand research-practice partnership (RPP) is a collaboration between Jackson State University (JSU) Computer Science and Mathematics faculty, JSU Educator Preparation Program faculty, JSU undergraduate and graduate students, and Jackson Public School (JPS) district teachers and instructional coaches (in-school trainers/lead teachers in specific content areas). The RPP aims to demonstrate the efficacy of an integrated Mathematics and Computer Science (CS) instructional framework as a sixth-grade focused teacher capacity building strategy.

To achieve the project goal, the RPP team is organized around four interrelated objectives: 1) Design and Formalize the IMaCS research practice partnership (RPP); 2) Implement the IMaCS Slate of activities, which include a Summer Integrated Math and Computer Science Workshop, IMaCS Continuing Education Units, IMaCS Content Ambassadors - JSU Faculty, CS majors, Mathematics majors, and pre-service teacher candidates, and IMaCS Virtual Office Hours; 3) Study and Ascertain the Efficacy of the IMaCS RPP, teacher PD, and JSU student engagement; and 4) Disseminate the IMaCS lessons learned for broad knowledge sharing, potential sustainability and future replication. The project will advance knowledge of broadening participation in CS through effective teacher PD particularly for teachers engaged in instruction in urban school districts and at a critical transition point--6th grade.

The project has been designed to directly address several urgent societal challenges and needs: 1) Educate and train more people, especially those underrepresented in computing, with digital skills, computational thinking, and computer science competencies, 2) Develop effective methods for training existing teachers to be highly skilled CS teachers, 3) Create innovative on-ramps into teacher education to address severe STEM teacher shortages. JPS is Mississippi’s second largest school district serving nearly 20,000 students, approximately 95% of whom are African American.

JSU is MS’s largest Historically Black College/University serving just under 7,000 graduate and undergraduate students, approximately 95% African American.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.