Thank you for your comment.  I love that you are working in informal learning spaces where there is so much freedom to experiment and help young people create their own meaningful personal connections to STEM and computing.  One of the most important aspects of this project is to help teachers build their own cultural competence so that they have the awareness, agency, and reflective tools to recognize those connection opportunities with students in their own classrooms and effectively act upon those opportunities.  The project is also focused on integrating computer science into other content areas in elementary school in a way that makes CS both ubiquitous and specific in various contexts.  The hope is that by the time students reach middle and high school, taking a computer science class seems a natural extension to their learning pathway.  I don't know if that in any way answered your question, but I am hoping that some of my colleagues will respond.  Thanks again!

Hi Romelia, I'm one of the project's external evaluators.  Thanks for your interest in the project!  As Dwayne and Betsy describe below, the project is using a number of tools to assess educator's competence with culturally relevant pedagogy.   We will also be examining the types of supports teachers need to take up this approach in their teaching.

Thank you so much for the comment.  Two of the co-PI's on this project are teachers in the schools where the research will begin, and they were partners in writing the proposal.  I hope that they have time to participate in this discussion, but they are the spine of the project and for expanding the reach of the project to their colleagues who will serve as the RPP.  As you mentioned, we are at the beginning of the project, so we are in the midst of designing activities that will help build a foundation for the RPP as we move forward, particularly around cultural competence because that is one of the major goals of this project.  Our advisory board has also been very helpful on this topic.  We definitely plan to share our experiences and learn from other projects.  Thank you again! 

If the above link doesn't load, the instrument we'll be using is also outlined in Dr. Cormier's June 2020 Educational Researcher article "Assessing Preservice Teachers’ Cultural Competence With the Cultural Proficiency Continuum Q-Sort."

We will be using an adapted version of his tool for this project. Our version is hosted online and supports educators (and the RPP) in systematically examining their own cultural competence concerning students who are minoritized, marginalized, and otherized within PreK–12 schools.

Thank you for your comment.  I agree that helping all students discover and develop a computer science or STEM identity is crucial to broadening participation.  Hopefully building teachers' cultural competence and confidence in making culturally relevant curricular choices for their students can be one of the first steps.

Great question, Rose. My colleagues can jump in with more specificity, but I am going to provide a list of works that were utilized in the development of our proposal and that are being referenced as we finalize this summer's professional development: 

• Culturally Responsive Teaching (Geneva Gay, 2018)
• Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders (Lindsey et al., 2018)
• Courageous Conversations About Race (Singleton, 2014)
• Culturally Proficient Instruction: A Guide for People Who Teach (Robins et al., 2006)
• Start Where You Are, But Don't Stay There (Milner, 2017)

I know I'm absolutely missing some references, and if there are other books or articles you enjoy or find to be effective, I'd love to hear them!  

Thanks so much for sharing these resources!!

Mary, great question. Our aim in addressing the question you asked above is to facilitate understanding in that CRT is more about understanding and mastering self ( level of cultural competence and critical consciousness) rather than students' unique differences informed by their racial, ethnic, and cultural identities. Essentially, through our PLC, we intend to help educators unlearn bias and mindset, which are a product of our socialization in the United States. A fundamental tenet within our PLC is informed by Lindsey et al. (2009), in which they offered, culturally competent educators "may not know all there is about others who are different from them, but they know how to take advantage of teachable moments, how to ask questions without offending, and how to create an environment that is welcoming to diversity and to personal and organizational change" (p. 111). Subsequently, we hope these ideas and understandings are internalized and become part of our educators' personal and professional disposition. 

Thank you so much for your comment.  We are hoping that the materials that come out of this project will be useful to all teachers.

Hello!  Hopefully reaching children early will result in more minoritized students developing a computer science identity.  Thank you for your comment.

Thank you for the post.  We have just started this project, but we are looking forward to being able to answer those very questions!

Thank you, Michael!  We are so very excited to be able to work with everyone on this project!

Hello! I believe that good teachers are already implementing culturally responsive and relevant practices, but have not explicitly called it out.  Often, marginalized students feel excluded by not being *included.*  One of our co-PI's gave an example of a student from an immigrant family who rarely interacted with their classmates or participated in discussions.  The teacher was cognizant of what was happening, so when the class was discussing the history and places in that student's home country, the student felt empowered to take the lead in the content and share their personal experiences *at* those places with their classmates.  This not only led to closer bonds between that student and their peers, it also allowed for a deeper learning experience for the entire class.  The material was taken out of the flatness of a textbook and made real by personal perspective and experience.  This project hopes to raise teachers' cultural competence and awareness so that they will continue to seize such opportunities, no matter the content area.  I hope that helps answer your question.  Thank you so much for the comment!

Yes, very helpful! Thank you :)

Thank you for your comment!  I look forward to learning more about your project!

Thank you so much for watching the video.  We are very excited to work on this project.