The CS Educator Workshop for Chicago Public Schools administrators and counselors toured an Amazon facility.
Jobs of the future — and the present — need employees with skills in computer science (CS) and data science. But making sure students have those tech skills takes more than just STEM teachers. Before students can even get into the classroom to learn CS, administrators need to understand what it takes to get them there.
DPI’s Pritzker Tech Talent Labs includes professional learning programs for K–12 teachers, helping them increase their capacity for high-quality CS instruction across the region. These programs include PTTL’s CS Educator Workshops, which provide professional development both for CS teachers and for teachers in other content areas who want to increase their tech fluency. In a logical next step, recognizing the need for broader support systems to improve CS and tech education, PTTL recently hosted its first CS Educator Workshop specifically for counselors and administrators.
Forty-eight Chicago Public Schools principals, assistant principals, counselors, and teachers attended. As the people who shape the agenda for their institutions – schedule courses, hire teachers, and advise students – this group can be considered the gatekeepers of the work that takes place inside schools. CS is a graduation requirement in CPS, but how can school leadership best support it?
“They really need to understand the power of computer science education and the implications of what that means for students in the future,” said Danna Dotson, director of teacher training for DPI’s Pritzker Tech Talent Labs. “We’re all consumers of tech, but how do we become creators? And how do we become critical thinkers surrounding the tech that we’re working with?”
The big picture
To set the stage for the tech ecosystem that educators are preparing their students to join, Manleen Rajput, innovation program manager at World Business Chicago, talked to the educators about Chicago as a tech center — a similar presentation to the one she gives at DPI’s ChiTech Discovery Days for high school students.
Then, to see tech in action in Chicago, the group took a tour of Amazon’s sub-same-day facility in Humboldt Park, where they got a peek behind the curtain at some of the logistics involved in coordinating Amazon’s deliveries.
“As many teachers as you want to send us”
More than 80 percent of jobs in the United States require computer skills. To prepare for these jobs, students need a CS education. And Kris Beck, director of computer science at CPS, emphasized that a robust CS program systemwide goes well beyond requiring one high school class. There is more work to be done:
- Getting high school content teachers comfortable using CS and data science in courses like AP Human Geography or art, for example, as well as using it as a tool for English Language Learners
- Providing enrichment experiences, like the trip to Amazon, around tech and CS
- Talking to parents at the school about tech workforce opportunities like DPI’s Tech Apprenticeship Program
“We want everybody to have a STEM identity,” Beck said.
But it begins, Beck said, with teacher training — especially at an elementary school level. Whether it’s implementing computational thinking with LEGOs and robotics, or doing basic programming, the teacher’s role is critical in providing foundational skills on which students can build as they learn.
“This isn’t about putting devices in front of kids and saying ‘play,’” she said, encouraging teachers to use the district as a resource.
“We will train as many elementary teachers as you want to send us,” she said.
Where we are, where we’re going
Because of the training Beck’s team offers and the graduation requirement, “everyone in the nation is looking to Chicago,” said Steven McGee, president of the Learning Partnership, and research director of Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFECS).
He briefed attendees on research by the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) on the state of CS education in Illinois. Among its findings was that the statewide participation in CS courses decreased by two percentage points if Chicago Public Schools was removed.
Based on CAFECS’ research, McGee painted a picture of where the CPS system was prior to instituting CS as a graduation requirement in 2016 and where it is now, debunking some misconceptions that arose along the way and how administrators and counselors can help.
- Misconception No. 1: Computer science is too hard.
- Before CS was a graduation requirement, the average grade in the course was a B. After the requirement, it was still a B.
- McGee noted that research showed students who had low overall GPAs were more likely to fail a CS class. However, teachers who had CS professional development or endorsements cut the student failure rate in half. The longer they teach the class, the better the results.
- Message for principals and counselors: Send your teachers to professional development and keep experienced CS teachers in that subject.
- Misconception No. 2: Students will take CS to fulfill the requirement and nothing more.
- Before the graduation requirement, 16 percent of CPS students took an additional CS course —Advanced Placement CS, for example — after the basic course. That rate rose to 19 percent after the requirement, with a perceived “untapped potential” of students who want to take more CS but don’t have the opportunity.
- Message for principals and counselors: Offer AP CS if you have a trained teacher and don’t already offer it.
After an overview of the Exploring Computer Science class that is typically the entry-level course in CPS, McGee presented a video of students talking about the benefits of the subject. CAFECS study found that students who took CS were more likely to get college degrees in any subject, not just CS.
Takeaways
Jennifer Sutton, principal of Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center said she appreciated a look at the Chicago tech landscape.
“It helps paint a picture for our students,” she said. “If we aren’t familiar with it, how can we share it with them?”
Other attendees appreciated the chance to connect with other educators around the issue of STEM and tech.
“I’m trying to make my school a STEM magnet, and I’m looking for a counselor, and this has been great for connections,” said Nancy Quintana, principal at Finkl Elementary School. “And I have parents who are looking for jobs.”
A group of workshop participants waits on the bus to the Amazon facility.
Author: Jeanie Chung