Exploring CS Education Policy Through the Lens of State Governance Models: Access, Accountability and Authority
This program is tentative and subject to change.
Computer science (CS) education policy efforts have accelerated since 2016 through the work of various governmental, advocacy, and CS-focused organizations. CS education policy implementation is typically led by the CS education state supervisor (CSEdSS), who plans and implements CS education in the state from CS teacher training to allocating CS resources to providing teacher certification pathways development, housed at state education agencies (SEAs). Despite efforts to expand K-12 CS education through policies, equity issues persist in terms of access and opportunity for historically marginalized students to learn CS. Moreover, while states may adopt the same policy, each state has their own governance structure. These structures determine authority and accountability - how education decision-making and policies are made and implemented. This study explores the relationship between state education governance (SEG) models and impact of CS education policy implementation by exploring the average rate of growth in access to high school CS and number of CS education policies adopted across SEG models. Data sources include publicly available data of high school CS access and CSEdSS survey and focus groups. Preliminary findings indicate the need to ensure a balance between accountability with authority in ways that consider SEG models when enacting CS education policy to attain goals related to expanding equitable and accessible K-12 CS education.