CS-PLAN for K-12 Districts to Launch in Summer 2022
Teachers in five school districts will benefit from new training
Sacred Heart University’s Isabelle Farrington College of Education (FCE) announces the launch of the Computer Science Professional Learning Action Network (CS-PLAN) to be housed at SHU in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Education. Connecticut K-12 school districts selected for the summer 2022 cohort of the CS-PLAN will receive computer science professional development.
CS-PLAN will create a hub of computer science professional development for teachers across the K-12 spectrum and from a variety of providers, including Code.org. A marketplace of options allows districts to craft a custom course pathway and attend to their capacity-building needs.
“SHU continues to lead in this space because of our ability to create and sustain partnerships,” said Darcy Ronan, an FCE professor who partners with colleague Cenk Erdil, associate professor in SHU’s School of Computer Science & Engineering in the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology, to oversee CS educational outreach programs. “Begun as a faculty collaboration to support CS teachers, our network now includes research, outreach and advocacy partnerships with local and international organizations like Code.org and ReadyCT.”
Michael Alfano, FCE dean, said this contract with the CT State Department of Education continues to advance the College. “The CS-PLAN project builds and extends on the Farrington College of Education’s relationships with K-12 educators,” he said. “This shows we are responsive to educators’ needs, and we are helping them to lean into important areas. It allows for the creation of a hub for computer science professional development for teachers, building on our existing professional development.”
SHU is pleased to announce it has promoted Susan Auchinclos to be the director of CS-PLAN. Auchincloss has been an advocate and strategist in CS education for several years, most recently leading curriculum coaching within SHU’s Project {FUTURE}, a federally funded project to integrate CS in elementary curricula. Auchincloss is a former classroom educator, a trained SCRIPT facilitator, Connecticut team representative for the Expanding Computing and Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance. She has previously worked in district engagement and advocacy throughout Connecticut and has served as the K-12 education chair for the Tech Talent Fund. She will lead district engagement for CS-PLAN and manage SHU’s contract with the state to provide high-quality professional development through the SHU hub.
“It is very important for districts to have a cohesive K-12 computer science pathway in place that provides support for teachers to equip students with the ever-changing technology demands in the global workplace,” Auchincloss said.
Week-long training sessions will occur in summer 2022, with ongoing support through the academic year. More information about CS-PLAN is available at www.sacredheart.edu/code, including the application for K-12 districts, which close at the end of February 2022.
“We strongly believe that computer science belongs in every classroom,” Ronan said. “What we hope to do through the CS-PLAN is to set a model of a program that can be scaled and sustained through legislative funding. There’s an enormous need for computer science instruction. The CS-PLAN prioritizes access to CS through cohesive K-12 pathways.”
Traditionally, students have been introduced to computer science in high school―perhaps in an advanced placement class. “That was the standard,” Erdil said. “And that’s too late. We’re making it so everyone starts learning about computer science in kindergarten,” he said. “So, when students do go to college, they can do artificial intelligence, machine learning and so much more.”
Educators who complete the training will earn credits towards SHU’s computer science education endorsement. To learn more about SHU’s computer science programs and Ronan and Erdil’s work, visit the computer science education webpage.