Emma-Marie Banks

Computer Science Specialist

Maine Department of Education, Augusta, Maine 

 

Why do you want to serve on the CSTA Board and what do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Board? How does this align with current CSTA activities?

 

Having served as Maine’s Computer Science Specialist for the past two years has been an amazing experience and I am interested in growing my involvement with CSTA to help support the organization as well as to become more involved in national projects and initiatives in computer science education. In the two years that I have served as the Computer Science Specialist here in Maine, we have made great gains in the expansion of CS education, focusing on equity of access and participation. Each time I am involved in CSTA activities, I see the overlap between the work we are doing as a state and the work that CSTA is doing nation-wide. Maine has grown CS Education throughout the past few years without enacting mandates or requiring standards. We have taken a grassroots approach to CS Education expansion and I feel that this approach has helped to foster this unique perspective that would be beneficial to have represented on the National Board.

 

What leadership experiences and skills can you contribute to CSTA and its Board?

 

As a natural leader, I have taken on many leadership opportunities throughout my career; many of them have been at the state level, leading strategic planning for several initiatives, including professional learning for Maine’s Learning Through Technology Initiative (MLTI) as well as computer science. This includes policy implementation, advocacy, program development, teacher support, grant administration, and overall visioning. I also look for opportunities to grow my leadership skills and abilities and seek out initiatives where I can bring value and perspective that will help to grow and expand the current program/initiative. As a National Board member for CSTA, I would bring all of these skills and experiences to the table and help with all CSTA activities and initiatives.

 

What previous experience do you have with CSTA? 

 

I am an active member of our local CSTA chapter and am always looking for ways to become more involved. This includes attending conferences, participating in committees, and engaging in professional learning opportunities. Currently, our CSTA chapter has a subcommittee that is focusing on PK-5 computer science integration and I am actively involved in that committee as well. I also helped to plan and host the CSTA New England conference when it was held (virtually) in Maine recently (October 2021). I am interested in becoming more involved with CSTA, which is one of my primary goals of being elected to the National Board. This would allow me to become truly immersed in the world of CSTA on a national scale.

 

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to supporting equitable participation in computing education?

 

Equitable access to and participation in computer science education are our highest priorities in Maine. Our state focuses on equity of access in technology through our Learning Through Technology program, which provides learning devices, infrastructure support, and professional learning to our schools. As we’ve expanded into computer science education, the focus on equity in both access and participation have guided our decision making. We are also in the midst of planning a landscape study to learn about the availability of computer science education in our state, both as “standalone” opportunities like CS courses and integrated opportunities. We prioritize integrated efforts so that all students are exposed to computer science education skills and fundamentals, not just those students who have previous experience with CS and tech.

 

Cindi Chang

Assistant Director 

Nevada Department of Education, Las Vegas, Nevada 

 

Why do you want to serve on the CSTA Board and what do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Board? How does this align with current CSTA activities?

 

Partnership: Building community is the heart of CSTA. I built an actively engaged community of CS Supervisors throughout the nation with our partners at Code.org that I would like to nurture and grow. Collaboration: I have collaborated with teams to build CSTA standards resources for district and state administrators; a coaching toolkit to support K12 educators with varying experience which was chosen as a poster, presented at this year’s SIGCSE conference. Support: of and for the CS community is vital for its health and continued growth. I have supported the national CSTA efforts to bring a sharper focus on equity and diversity by serving on the elections committee and our newest policy committee. Advocating for CS and continuing to build community is what I am most passionate about.

 

What leadership experiences and skills can you contribute to CSTA and its Board?

 

As a current member of the Board through this extraordinary time in history, I would like to serve another term to continue the work that I started. I have extensive policy experience, working at the state level for 5 years. As a former CS teacher for 11 years, I know the benefit of sustained professional learning through webinars, Summits, conference presentations, and peer-to-peer coaching. Solid, standards-aligned curriculum is valuable to educators at all levels. My experience as a curriculum writer strengthens my level of engagement and input. My greatest skill has to be community building. My passion for CS is infectious and I love helping people understand and embrace CS education so they can confidently train our youngest of students – through college and many career opportunities.

 

What previous experience do you have with CSTA? 

 

I was a founding member of our Silver State chapter and we collaborate regularly in professional learning for all K12 educators through our state Summits and other events. I am a CSTA+ member and the current State Representative on the Board of Directors. I have had the privilege of attending and presenting at the CSTA national conference on the standards resources and toolkit that a team of us developed to support our CS teachers, administrators, and coaches. I am a volunteer on several committees: standards resource development, policy committee, State CS Supervisors Community, have contributed to the CSTA Voice, and participate in webinars and mini-conferences hosted by CSTA. I actively participate in Board discussions and provide my input and perspective from a state leader position.

 

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to supporting equitable participation in computing education?

 

I won’t stop until every student in my state, and hopefully every other state in the nation, has equitable access to CS education in their school. It is the great equalizer of our time. I was the sole female in my college CS courses. Not much has changed. We need diverse perspectives to prevent biased consequences in policy, practice, & prejudicial decisions, and in the development of present & future computational artifacts. I am working with my state’s Multicultural Taskforce, using CS equity & diversity training for administrators as a cornerstone model, to remove barriers of race in our educational system and bridge those gaps that have prevented females & diverse groups of individuals from reaching their full potential and qualifying for jobs that were previously unattainable to them.

Dawn Morrison

Computer Science State Administrator

Alabama State Department of Education, Montgomery, Alabama

 

Why do you want to serve on the CSTA Board and what do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Board? How does this align with current CSTA activities?

 

Serving on the CSTA Board provides an opportunity to learn more intimately about the organization and the members it serves. When you serve, you see the organization as whole. Serving also provides the opportunity to coach and mentor others, including members of the organization’s leadership team or junior board colleagues and vice versa. While the boards, I have previously served on have been “working boards”, it does bring a feeling gratitude when the work/goals are accomplished. Finally, I believe that by serving on the CSTA board is a learning opportunity to grow professionally/personally and take that experience to better inform the work in my home state.

 

What leadership experiences and skills can you contribute to CSTA and its Board?

 

From a national perspective, I have previously served on the Board of Directors for MBAResearch and Curriculum Center. I am currently serving on the CompTIA National CTE Advisory Council, including the Mission Sub-Committee and Executive Committee. I also serve on the Business Education Division’s Policy Committee of ACTE. At the state level, I am currently serving on the Governor’s CS Advisory Council and Taskforce; the Alabama STEM Council and Executive Committee. All of these opportunities have allowed me to learn and grow, as I apply this learning in my professional career. Because I do have an attention to detail, I am often tasked with bylaws revisions, strategic planning, and budget reviews. Moreover, the network of lifetime friends has been invaluable.

 

What previous experience do you have with CSTA? 

 

In 2020, I served on the CSTA PD Committee that was tasked with identifying high-quality computer science professional development providers. This work was very involved, required team work and several meetings over the course of a few short months in both asynchronous and synchronous formats. The work was rewarding and I hope that it was used to assist SEAs, LEAs, afterschool programs, etc. In 2021, I attended the CSTA Chapter Leadership Summit. I felt it was very important for me to be in attendance for this particular summit as we consider ways to revive our state chapter. In 2021, I attended the Equity in Action Summit. I even attended the Post Summit event with the Coded Bias filmmaker and purchased a EIA T-shirt. I have also previously attended the CSTA National Conference.

 

What experiences and perspectives do you bring to supporting equitable participation in computing education? 

 

Alabama passed CS legislation in 2019. At the core our legislation is equity and access. Our state does a really good job in identifying who is taking CS and who has access to CS. This data is shared with our public, but also assists LEAs with taking a more inclusive approach when their student population does not mirror student enrollment in their CS courses. These efforts that include topics on DEI, social justice, and broadening participation have been shared more widely in presentations, panels, and BoF sessions within the ECEP Alliance and other CS-related convenings.