Equity in computer science education is at the core of CSTA’s work and that will only be possible in a world where Black Lives Matter. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of police are the most recent in an unconscionably long list that began in 1619. We see the effects of systemic racism throughout our society, and we see it in our schools and classrooms, where our current systems and structures deny Black students the opportunity to access and persist in computer science.
Full Statement
Equity in computer science education is at the core of CSTA’s work and that will only be possible in a world where Black Lives Matter. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade at the hands of police are the most recent in an unconscionably long list that began in 1619. We see the effects of systemic racism throughout our society, and we see it in our schools and classrooms, where our current systems and structures deny Black students the opportunity to access and persist in computer science.
We commit to supporting teachers, administrators, and policymakers as they educate themselves on issues of bias and white supremacy, and how it manifests in CS spaces. The truth is that we are still doing this work ourselves. To move the equity needle forward within the computer science education field and actionize our belief that Black Lives Matter, we will:
Support teachers at CSTA 2020 in understanding issues of racial inequity and how culturally responsive teaching will help close the participation gaps we commit to eliminating. We will also create affinity group spaces specifically for Black computer science teachers to learn together and for white teachers to do the work of understanding their privilege and take steps to decenter whiteness in their CS classrooms.
Increase Black and people of color-led sessions and speakers at CSTA conferences and professional learning. In the CSTA 2021 call for proposals, we will explicitly solicit sessions on deepening understanding of racial inequities and culturally responsive teaching, and we will create a track in the conference program to feature these sessions. We will continue prioritizing teachers of color and those who teach marginalized communities in the conference scholarship selection process. Additionally, we will dedicate increased scholarship funding to support teachers of color to present at the conference.
Expand the CSTA Equity Fellowship for the 2020-21 school year from 10 fellows to 12-15 fellows and establish an alumni Equity Fellow network to grow, support, and elevate classroom teachers who are already engaging in anti-racist, equity-centered learning with their students. We will fund more opportunities for peer-led learning on inclusive and equitable teaching practices.
Begin training local chapter leadership to facilitate open and honest discussions about how systemic racism and issues of inequity in CS affect them and their students, and how each and every member can be a part of the solution through culturally responsive and sustaining teaching. We will support chapter leadership to localize the computer science equity work being done at the international and national levels and, conversely, to share-up their expertise with the rest of the association.
These are first steps to showing our commitment to Black Lives Matter, and we’re not done yet. We commit to doing the internal work within our organization, so we can create the humanizing computer science experiences members of the Black community deserve. CSTA members, partners, and members of the community, we want to hear your voices and we’re ready for the conversation. How can CSTA better support the Black students, Black teachers, and Black communities we serve? Please tag your responses with #BLM2CSTA.