Research-practitioner Partnerships Supported by the Computer Science for All Program: A Systematic Evaluation

Today, the importance of computer science (CS) education is underscored by the lucrative job opportunities and market growth. Yet every year, many CS-related jobs remain unfilled and further, the demographics of the people taking CS jobs remain highly skewed toward young, White and Asian males. So while support for CS education grows across the nation, it is evident that equal opportunity for all students is still not a reality. This prompted the CS for All initiative launched by President Barack Obama in 2016. The initiative aims to empower all students from all backgrounds to learn about CS and be equipped with the computational thinking skills needed to excel in the digital economy. One program that was created as part of the President's initiative was the Research-Practitioner Partnership grants issued by the National Science Foundation. The program has four objectives: i) develop a connected community of practice; 2) develop and manage a participant-driven and multi-site research agenda; 3) convene a researcher evaluator working group to develop a process for advancing the shared-research agenda; and 4) collect qualitative and quantitative data about RPP's implementation and common impact data. However, it is unclear who these RPP projects are reaching and to what extent those four objectives are being attained. Thus, this research entailed a systematic review of the funded RPP programs. The evaluation reveals that the projects are geographically disparate, yet focused on english-language learners in rural communities. The primary mechanism of action (or intervention) is to train educators using train-the-trainer models. Few programs offer tools that extend beyond the one-to-one researcher-practitioner relationships with a couple notable exceptions. This contributes to the lack of training resources that are vetted and supported for educators who aspire to start or augment CS-based curricula. This research suggests that the nascent RPP projects are having positive impacts on a limited number of schools, while the vast majority of schools remain underprepared to administer CS education. The focus on english-language learners suggests that immigrant and refugee populations will continue to remain underserved. This baseline evaluation will serve to support ex post facto assessments in the years to come. Secondarily, research needs to compare city and state-level programs against these national projects funded through the RPP program. There is a need to adapt CS education to be accessible to local school districts and to meet the needs of the demographically and culturally diverse residents and students.