Microsoft Philanthropies Computer Science Education (CSE) team has been a proud partner of the Computer Science Teacher Association’s Equity Fellows initiative since its launch in 2019.
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Microsoft Philanthropies Computer Science Education (CSE) team has been a proud partner of the Computer Science Teacher Association’s Equity Fellows initiative since its launch in 2019. As the CSE Partnership Lead, I was able to attend the November 2022 summit along with Andrea Russo, CSE Field Enablement Lead. We were grateful for the opportunity to support the new fellows and join discussions around equity and inclusion, a topic that is near and dear to our anchor program, Technology Education and Learning Support (TEALS).A welcoming community
The CSTA leadership created a welcoming, supportive, and intentional space conducive to deep, creative thought. I personally enjoyed engaging in wide-ranging conversations covering topics aimed to bolster equity in CS education including policy, data casting tools, reaching rural students, inclusive lessons and trainings that uncover the bias built into algorithms.
Resource creation and exchange
For Andrea, the exchange of resources and the collaborative dreams produced by participants are one of the most powerful outcomes of these convenings. “It’s exciting to think about the rippling effect for student learning that will come out of instructors using these tools in CS classrooms across the country,” Andrea shared. “The podcast project that started over three years ago is a great example of this. I love that every year a new person takes it over, puts their own spin on it, and then passes it on to a new host. Signature projects like this and the new affinity groups that the Equity Fellows are creating support the entire ecosystem by providing platforms for excellent educators to spread their best practices.”
Two new resources that impressed us
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Learning Equality, an organization that helps connect and support rural schools (shared by Jigar Patel, Instructional Media and Communications Specialist from Pennsylvania)
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Federal Department of Education’s YOU Belong in STEM initiative
To us, it’s clear that the CSTA summits will drive impact for teachers across the country for years to come. We thank the CSTA and the Equity Fellows for the opportunity to join them in their planning sessions in the fall of 2022.
About the Author
Peter is the Partnership Lead for the Microsoft Philanthropies Computer Science Education team. Prior to joining Microsoft, he supported school districts nationwide to integrate computer science across all grade levels and subject areas. Before that, he taught CS to K-12 students in Chicago and earned a master’s in teaching from the University of Chicago Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP).
