Allen Antoine (left) with panelists (left to right) Christy Crawford, Joshua Childs, Justin Cannady, Sarah Dunton, and Sophia DeJesus following their CSTA conference panel, “The Power of Words in CS Education”. Photo credit: Andrea Wilson-Vasquez

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.

ECEP's commitment to collective impact was prominently showcased at the RESPECT conference in May. Presentations included an experience report highlighting the Common Metrics Project, titled "From Data Bonk to Data Wonk: The value of Collaborative Exploration of State-Based Data Systems in Support of Equitable Computer Science education Policy, Programs and Practices", authored by R. Zarch, S. Dunton, and J. Childs (2024). Additionally, Dr. Megean Garvin, Maryland ECEP team lead, presented a collaborative research paper on "Situating Equity in Education Policy to Advance Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)” (Garvin et al, 2024). Another significant contribution was the experience report "Training Effective Facilitators to Scale Equity-Focused Computer Science Professional Learning"  (Martin et al, 2024), a presentation on the opportunity and impact of the Scaling Inclusive Pedagogy (ScIP) course. These presentations highlighted ECEP's role in fostering collaborative exploration and situating equity at the forefront of educational policy.

Dr. Joshua Childs as keynote at the 2024 Maine CS Summit.

Immediately following the RESPECT Conference, Dr. Joshua Childs, ECEP Co-PI, participated in a panel at the 2024 Summit for the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT). The panel, “Increasing Student Persistence in Computing: NSF BPC Alliances Share Their Practices”, highlighted the importance and value of sharing resources and strategies across the BPC Alliance to collectively enhance student enrollment and retention in computing courses. By fostering collaboration and leveraging collective impact, these efforts amplify the reach and effectiveness of BPC initiatives nationwide. 

The momentum continued at the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Conference in July, where ECEP representatives delivered several impactful sessions and co-facilitated the CS State Supervisor meeting. Dr. Carol Fletcher and Dr. Jaci McCune led a poster session on "Advocating for CS with the ECEP Alliance," emphasizing ECEP's advocacy efforts and resources. Allen Antoine's presentation on "Scaling Inclusive Pedagogy (ScIP)" alongside Andrea Wilson-Vasquez (Minnesota ECEP team), Jigar Patel (Pennsylvania ECEP team), and Crystal Franklin (Ohio ECEP team, and ECEP ECEP Executive Board Member), provided insights into promoting inclusivity in CS education through ECEP’s ScIP course. The panel "The Power of Words in CS Education," moderated by Allen Antoine, included ECEP Co-PIs Sarah Dunton and Dr. Joshua Childs, alongside Justin Cannady, Sophia De Jesus, and Christy Crawford. This inspirational panel explored the significant impact of language in shaping educational experiences through personal and impactful experiences. Through these engagements, ECEP reinforced its role as a central hub for advancing equity and broadening participation in computing.