Sharisa Chan is the associate director of curriculum, instruction, and professional development for UCLA Center X’s Computer Science Equity Project. Previously, she served as a county administrator at the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, where she led equity-focused sessions and outreach to students from underrepresented groups, as well as providing professional development to help TK–12 teachers integrate CS into their classrooms. Dr. Chan holds a doctorate in educational leadership, a master’s degree in education, and a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies; and she’s passionate about expanding computer science education and fostering interdisciplinary connections in the classroom.
In her current role, Sharisa partners with a wide range of educational partners at a range of different stages of their computer science journey. She aims first and foremost to understand where they’re coming from and to recognize the specific skills, interests, talents, and perspectives they bring to the table. “It is essential for me to remain sympathetic,” she says, “and provide personalized, intentional, safe, and culturally responsive support to each individual I’m assisting.”
Sharisa works with educators and administrators at all grade levels and types of schools, which means that her work impacts students from numerous groups underrepresented in computer science, including Black and Latino students, female and nonbinary students, English-language learners, and more. By deploying quantitative as well as qualitative evaluations, she’s able to provide the most personalized support to everyone she’s coaching. As a member of California’s statewide consortium on computer science education, she’s also involved with large-scale initiatives to broaden CS access across the whole state. Her work for the consortium includes the development and delivery of a course on equity-minded instruction in computer science, which she’s now been able to offer for three years running, with an overflow list of hopeful attendees every time.
As a CSTA Equity Fellow, Sharisa hopes to build her network of like-minded CS educators, learning from them about their experiences and the strategies they’ve developed to meet the unique challenges of their specific educational contexts. “I would like to better understand the importance of identity and voice in all situations,” she says.
In particular, she hopes to develop strategies to engage more educators in the process of getting students excited about CS. Rather than just performing outreach to teachers and administrators, Sharisa hopes to find or create coaching opportunities for all the educators whose work touches students in the course of their education: support staff, librarians, counselors, and parents. “By developing professional and personal learning networks for these folks to connect, learn, and generate ideas, we give students a better chance of learning about CS and CS-related careers,” she says.