Bootstrap Helps Schools Create Comprehensive K-12 Computer Science Pathways
- Posted by Jesse Polhemus
- on Oct. 31, 2018
Click the links that follow for more news about Bootstrap, Kathi Fisler, Shriram Krishnamurthi, and Emmanuel Schanzer.
K-12 schools and districts planning to add computer science to their offerings face the challenge of creating sequences of classes out of many standalone curricular options, each targeting different contexts and content. Earlier this month, the National Math and Science Institute announced a coalition of national education groups that includes Bootstrap (a K-12 CS curriculum used worldwide that's directed by Kathi Fisler, Shriram Krishnamurthi, and Emmanuel Schanzer of Brown CS) to address this problem with a new approach.
In the current phase, coalition members are working together to define and explain the connections among their programs to educators. Members will offer coordinated professional development to participating schools, then work with schools and districts to design customized, cohesive CS programs that span multiple grades by stitching together existing curricula in meaningful ways.
“By helping schools incorporate computer science across courses and grade levels, we are increasing students’ opportunities to develop these skills within the context of the math, science, arts and language courses they already are taking,” says Emmanuel Schanzer of Bootstrap. “Education research confirms that students and teachers excel when classwork is tied to familiar experiences. This approach supports that type of learning.”
The new coalition is made of up of seven national educational groups and will start training teachers in three San Antonio districts in 2019.
The full press release is available here.
For more information, click the link that follows to contact Brown CS Communication Outreach Specialist Jesse C. Polhemus.
