In March, ECEP held its annual Summit in Minneapolis. The event convened ECEP state teams from 27 states and the territory of Puerto Rico and highlighted state-level strategies for overcoming issues to access in computer science education (CSEd). Action-oriented sessions provided tangible lessons on increasing CSEd access and opportunity to students of all backgrounds and navigating challenges in the education space.

The only thing that is constant is change. Dr. Jaci McCune has accepted the position of ECEP Alliance Director. Brianna Johnston of Sagefox Consulting Group is our new ECEP Program Manager. The entire ECEP leadership team looks forward to executing on our mission to broaden participation in computing by identifying and addressing the policies, pathways, and practices in state education systems that are barriers to universal student engagement and success. 

Committed to serving as a national hub for broadening participation in computing (BPC), the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance held its annual virtual summit, ECEP Connect, on October 17th. 

At the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, we’ve dedicated two recent ECEP Alliance call agendas to building and rebuilding diverse state teams. To tackle the complex challenge of broadening participation in computing (BPC) education at the state level, the ECEP Alliance relies on coordinated and multi-sector state teams. There are two key aspects of ECEP’s 5-Stage Model for State Change that identify the need for and value of coordinated state teams: 1) Finding leaders and change agents; and 2) Gathering and organizing allies to establish goals and develop strategic plans. ECEP places significant value on the team model for …

Since 2012, the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance has emerged as a pivotal force in the Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) landscape. By serving as a central locus for BPC efforts, ECEP has underscored the importance of collective impact in driving equitable computer science education policies, programs, and practices. This collaborative approach harnesses the strengths of multiple stakeholders to effect systemic change, ensuring that diverse perspectives and expertise are leveraged to address the complex challenges in computing education.

The ECEP (Expanding Computing Education Pathways) Alliance co-located its annual Summit in May with the Research on Equitable and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) Conference in Atlanta.

A primary goal of the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance is to serve as a locus, connecting the national CSEd community in conversations that drive broadening participation in computing (BPC). This spring and summer, ECEP has doubled down on that role by collaborating with other national organizations to host events that bring together diverse constituencies in the service of BPC.

ECEP leadership is pleased to announce Dr. Jaqueline McCune as Deputy Director of the Alliance and Dr. Delores Rice as our new Research Associate. Dr. Rice and Dr. McCune will support our mission of broadening participation in computing (BPC) education pathways for the 29 ECEP states and the territory of Puerto Rico and help ECEP to serve as a national hub for BPC efforts across the country.