#CSforALL in Small & Rural Communities
Too often in computer science education, “rural” is tacked on as an afterthought. People talk generally about rural schools, instead of talking meaningfully with those who work in them.
That’s why it was great to watch the ‘Unlocking the Potential of Small and Rural Communities’ talks from the 2017 CSforALL Summit. In these videos, rural stakeholders spoke to their experiences building computer science in rural communities.
While I watched them, I noticed two themes worth taking away: the essential role of developing teacher leaders and the importance of meaningful relationships with industry partners.
Developing Teacher Leaders
Teachers are often learning computer science themselves, so investing in their learning means supporting their work in multiple ways.
Providing administrative support and access to resources
In ‘Spotlight: Code Missouri Partnership,’ Kevin Pekkarinen described teaching math and CS in Fayette, MO in a high school of about 180 students. He spoke about his administration encouraging him to use CodeHS to offer computer science to all of his students, as one way to reach both students interested in college and those interested in going straight into the workforce.
Training confident and competent CS teachers
While Kevin, like other pioneer teachers, jumped at the chance to spearhead a CS initiative, in a panel talk on ‘Supporting CSforALL in Rural Districts,’ Paige Prescott of CSTA-NM pointed out that “We don’t have enough teachers who feel they can teach computer science.”
This is a real, and immediate, challenge for both K-12 and higher education. They are asking: how do we train interested teachers in computer science without adding ‘one more thing’ to everyone’s plates?
Growing while rooted in the classroom
In that same panel discussion, Michelle Rinehart, of WeTeach_CS, asked how rural communities could keep teacher talent local. She encouraged everyone to “keep reimagining what that looks like, to support teachers to grow in the profession, grow into leaders, but to lead education from their classrooms.”
This invitation is key to supporting growth in rural schools. Teachers stay, mentor, grow, all from within the classrooms and communities they love.
Cultivating Industry Connections
Within computer science there are so many types of jobs. This diversity can be overwhelming, but it can also offer a unique opportunity for helping students see themselves in the field.
The talks highlighted three ways to help rural students connect with computer science professionals.
Bring Professionals Into the Classroom
Kevin Wang is the founder of Microsoft TEALS, a program that brings in industry partners to co-teach CS with classroom teachers. In a Spotlight talk on CSforALL in Appalachia, he discussed how by having teachers collaborate with CS professionals in teaching their classes, students also get a glimpse into the ways of thinking and problem solving that CS professionals use.
Send Kids Out of the Classroom
In the same CSforAll talk in Appalachia, Superintendent Jim Evans of the Beattyville Schools described how their partnership with TEALS and some support by AT&T has enabled the district to send four groups of kids to Seattle to give kids an experience they wouldn’t otherwise get.
Represent Rural Tech in CS Recruitment and Curriculum Materials
Rural kids are surrounded by land — farmland, mountains, desert, ranches. They see few brick-and-mortar tech industries in their small towns. When they watch CS videos, they don’t see their lives reflected in them, especially so when the videos focus on the big corporations of Silicon Valley.
This ‘single story’ of the tech industry hinders students’ perception of themselves in the many fields available to them. In the panel talk, Paige Prescott, of CSforNM, proposed the idea of helping rural students see themselves in CS materials. She proposed: “If we can create a video bank that has our local tech industry, make them the local stars of our area. So then the parents aren’t fearful of our kids leaving.”
Looking Forward
On each day of CSEdWeek 2017, CSforAll focused on a different theme related to computer science education. Thursday, December 9 foregrounded #rural education efforts, and that day’s tweets highlighted enthusiastic and impactful work being done all over the country.
I’m looking forward to joining these folks, and others, as we all keep a spotlight on the growth happening in rural computer science education.
