Raymond Z. Anacaya is an interventionist at Olanta Creative Arts and Science Magnet School in South Carolina. With ten years of teaching experience and a PhD in educational leadership, Raymond has dedicated his career to improving reading comprehension and numeracy skills through innovative STEM projects. He was named South Carolina’s PeeDee Region STEM Educator of the Year and was one of the top five finalists for the state.
Raymond is passionate in his belief that students’ access to cutting-edge computer science tools and high-quality CS education should not depend on their demographic or financial backgrounds. While the resources at his home school are limited, he doesn’t let that stop him—or his students. He worked with his regional computer science coach to arrange a loan of Ozobots, small robots that can introduce students to basic coding concepts. He has also sought out grants and partnerships to bring robotics and 3D printing tools to his students.
But tools alone aren’t enough. Raymond also shares knowledge with his co-teachers to ensure that they know how to use the tools, enabling them to incorporate exciting technology into core subjects. That way, students are developing career-ready skills at the same time that they’re learning basic things like math and reading. Raymond constantly seeks out new frameworks and ideas to support his kids, like participating in a course on computational thinking through the Citadel Military College of South Carolina, which equipped him with new strategies to teach and share CS in his school community. Raymond says, “Through knowledge and resource sharing, I hope to set off a chain reaction to improve access and equity all around.”
To engage students from groups underrepresented in tech, it’s crucial to proactively remove barriers, and Raymond has identified numerous ways to do so in his own teaching practice. At his current school, he founded a Girls Who Code club, which encourages female and nonbinary students to learn about coding in a supportive environment, through projects that match their interests. Similarly, as a way to welcome Black and Latinx students into computer science, Raymond started a coding club that focuses on those students in particular, offering practical, social justice–focused coding projects aimed at addressing community problems. As students grow more confident in their CS abilities, their enrollment and performance in CS classes reliably improves. “Constantly monitoring these indicators and getting student comments helps me make sure my approaches stay inclusive and successful,” says Raymond.
Raymond wants to use his time as a CSTA Equity Fellow to learn about the many tools, resources, and opportunities that he can use to better serve his students. “As an international teacher from the Philippines, where access to technology is often limited, I deeply empathize with the feeling of being left behind,” says Raymond. “This fellowship gives me the opportunity to open more doors and fully teach computer science in my current school, which struggles with limited funds for required supplies.”
Knowing how valuable it has been for his school to receive loans of CS materials, Raymond hopes to develop a virtual mentorship program between well-resourced and under-resourced CS programs, which could help to close the resource gap for poor and rural schools. Along similar lines, he’d like to pursue an initiative where schools could borrow CS tools from a loaning library stocked by nonprofit and industry partners. Finally, Raymond would like to advance knowledge of inclusive teaching practices with a professional development series that highlights ways to reach students at all knowledge and ability levels.
“With this fellowship as a platform,” says Raymond, “I want to advocate for structural change so that every student has access to first-rate computer science education.”