News

The CAPE Framework is Published in Communications of the ACM

  • Uncategorized
    None

    Dr. Carol Fletcher, Principal Investigator of ECEP, and Dr. Jayce Warner, a member of the ECEP Alliance in Texas, collaboratively authored an article published in the February issue of Communications of the ACM. In the piece, titled “CAPE: A Framework for Assessing Equity throughout the Computer Science Education Ecosystem”, they explore the different levels of the CAPE framework and how the framework as a whole can be used as a tool to address CS education inequality with an ecosystem-level approach. The framework addresses four key components of CS education: Capacity for, Access to, Participation in, and Experience of equitable CS …

    ECEP Announces Funding Four States with Co-Sponsorships

    • Uncategorized
      None

      Since 2015 the ECEP Co-Sponsorship program has distributed over $650,000 to ECEP member states to support state teams with broadening participation in computer science education strategies. The national funding landscape for this type of work is varied, and ECEP has been committed to not only working collaboratively with state teams as they chart a path forward but to also fund state team activity. 

      Reflections on Computer Science Education Week

      If CS is for Social Justice Then We’ve Got Work To Do

      • Uncategorized
        None

        2020 was filled with urgent reminders that actively dismantling unjust and inequitable systems requires all of us to dive deeper into the headlines and take actions beyond yard signs, self learning, and hashtags. With CSEdWeek 2020 recently coming to a close, it is important to continue to grapple with the implications of CS for Social Justice and consider where we are as both individuals and a collective movement to address the historic marginalization and bias which has resulted in the longstanding underrepresentation of Black, Latinx, women, LGBTQI, indigenous students, and students with disabilities in CS. 

        ECEP Delivers a CS Education Week Webinar

        • Uncategorized
          None

          In celebration of CS Education Week, the ECEP Alliance partnered with the Computer Science Teachers Association to organize a policy-focused webinar. Sarah Dunton, Director of ECEP, facilitated presentations from: 

          • Dr. Joshua Childs, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
          • Nate Myers, Computer Science Teacher at Wakefield Middle School
          • Ryan Torbey, ECEP Project Specialist & CS4TX Leader

          A Data-Driven Call to Action

          Addressing Inequities in Computer Science Education

          • Uncategorized
            None

            The world has changed drastically since we released the 2019 State of CS Report in collaboration with Code.org and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA). Our communities have been impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic, schools all over the country are moving toward virtual instruction, and racial injustice has become a national focal point. The challenges of 2020 have pushed us to more deeply examine our strategies for addressing the persistent inequities that remain in computer science education.

            Our Message to the ECEP Community

            • Uncategorized
              None

              The ECEP leadership team sent the following letter on June 4th to our ECEP state leaders and supporters. We are posting our statement here to open dialogue and invite participation in our work to broaden participation in computing, which can only be done if we work collaboratively to dismantle systemic racism.

              Three Models Driving ECEP & ECEP State Efforts

              • Uncategorized
                None

                Stepping into year nine of the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, the leadership team developed a new Theory of Change, and recently added a fifth stage to the ECEP How to Change at State model, originally developed by Mark Guzdial, Rick Adrion, Barbara Ericson and Renee Fall. Both of these models reflect past ECEP efforts and position ECEP to adapt to the evolving needs of state teams working to broaden participation in computing (BPC) through advocacy and policy reform efforts.

                ECEP Shows Up for RESPECT 2020

                • Uncategorized
                  None

                  RESPECT 2020, the 5th international conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology was held virtually on Wednesday, March 11th. Making a quick transition from the planned in-person format to a virtual format, we applaud the leadership taken in these unprecedented times by the organizing committee, and especially the general chairs Christina Gardner-McCune (UF) and Nicki Washington (Winthrop). This year’s theme was “Learning from the past. Building for the future.” In retrospect, it was probably not intended to reference the massive effort that it would take to flip the entire conference in less than …

                  2019 ECEP Convening, CSEdCon, and the State of Computer Science Education Report

                  • Uncategorized
                    None

                    This month, ECEP co-hosted CSEdCon, a 500-person event in which participants explored K-12 computer science pathways, developed implementation plans for their district or region, learned about CS curriculum offerings, and worked together towards advancing state-level policies. The event, spearheaded by Code.org and in partnership with ECEP and CSTA, was held on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 through Friday, September 13, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada.