Navigating Remote Exploring Computer Science Teaching

Challenge

The COVID-19 pandemic closed K–12 schools nationwide, and many districts struggled to swiftly shift learning online. This created a need to ensure remote learning systems and policies supported students and families, including those in low-income communities.

For several years, EDC partnered with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS)—including working with the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) program to design effective and accessible online curriculum and professional development. In Navigating Remote Exploring Computer Science Teaching (NEXT), EDC, CPS, ECS, and The Learning Partnership studied the effects of forced remote learning on ECS students’ outcomes.

Key Activities

The project carried out the following activities:

• Designed and facilitated online professional development to help teachers maintain the same strong focus on equitable and inclusive instruction as the face-to-face curriculum
• Developed and delivered ongoing and responsive support for teachers—including online professional development and a professional learning community for ECS coaches
• Evaluated the impact of online professional development and coaching on ECS implementation and student outcomes

Our Impact

• Findings helped CPS identify strategies to mitigate the impact of school closures on thousands of CPS students, particularly those in low-income communities
• Results guided ECS sites nationwide in engaging students in high-quality computer science learning
• The research advanced knowledge of effective online professional development