Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in Computer Science Teacher Education (CRPinCS): Building a Micro-credential via Collaboration
Abstract: Computer Science (CS) is the fastest growing academic subject in the United States, based on College Board Advanced Placement (AP) data, with thousands of new teachers starting to teach CS annually. These teachers are creating the access students need to be knowledgeable in this fundamental discipline and are the pipeline into Higher Education CS programs. While the number of K-12 CS teachers in the US has exploded, most schools still do not offer CS; and when they do, teacher preparation is less than other more established subject areas. In marginalized communities, the access to CS classes is significantly impacted by teacher availability with commensurate skills. For example, New Mexico’s teaching workforce has a unique student demographic when compared to many other states. Teachers in New Mexico are 60% White, 34% are Hispanic, and only 3% are Native American, whereas, 61% of NM students are Hispanic, 25% are White, and 11% are Native American. This mismatch in teacher/student identity reveals how few students will be taught by someone sharing a similar cultural background. An area of support to address this mismatch is for teachers to develop a culturally responsive pedagogy with an emphasis in computer science. Developing, supporting, and sustaining K-12 CS teachers is one approach for supporting CS education (Mouza, et al., 2022). This paper provides the description of a ‘CRPinCS’ micro-credential for New Mexico secondary CS teachers.