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Creating a School-wide CS/CT-focused STEM
Ecosystem to Address Access Barriers
Danielle Boulden
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
dmboulde@ncsu.edu
Callie Edwards
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
callie edwards@ncsu.edu
Veronica Catet´
e
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
vmcatete@ncsu.edu
Nick Lytle
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
nalytle@ncsu.edu
Tiffany Barnes
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
tmbarnes@ncsu.edu
Eric N. Wiebe
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
wiebe@ncsu.edu
Dave Frye
NC State University
Raleigh, NC, USA
dafrye@ncsu.edu
time and place [4]. At the core of a STEM ecosystem, are
multiple opportunities for learners to engage in a variety of
activities across diverse settings that enable them to develop
knowledge, interest, and skills in STEM disciplines over the
course of their youth [5], [6]. Students interact with other
individuals (e.g., peers, mentors, teachers, parents) throughout
these experiences subsequently influencing their academic and
career trajectories in, hopefully, positive ways [5]. Learning
can occur across multiple settings including the formal school
environment as well as out-of-school learning opportunities
such as after school clubs, summer camps, and informal home
experiences [6]. When strategically aligned and coordinated,
these opportunities become intentionally designed pathways to
support equitable STEM learning experiences for all students.
Universities, schools, businesses, and community organiza-
tions are all integral stakeholders as they provide critical
resources for authentic STEM learning [7].
II. EC OCS: BUILDING A CS/CT-FOCUSED ECOSYSTEM
TH ROU GH A S CH OO L-L EV EL RPP
Our team views the STEM ecosystem as a robust framework
for addressing the barriers and necessary support structures
that students encounter within their learning trajectories in
STEM areas, including CS/CT. Therefore, we posit that a
CS/CT-focused STEM ecosystem can be a viable strategy
to broaden the participation of student populations that have
been historically denied access to meaningful CS/CT learning
opportunities and to position them for success along such a
CS/CT learning trajectory.
Our model recognizes that effective CS/CT learning requires
coordinated efforts amongst school leadership, teachers, par-
ents, and other key external constituencies as they work to
design and support computationally-rich educational pathways
for all students. Current research and policy initiatives rec-
ognize that computationally rich experiences can occur not
only across formal STEM subject areas, but also in non-
STEM coursework, elective courses, and informal educational
activities [8]. Outcomes of this coordinated effort will produce
Abstract—STEM ecosystem is an emerging model for identi-
fying the barriers and support structures that students have in
their learning trajectories in STEM. In this paper our university-
based research team presents a CS/CT-focused STEM ecosystem
strategy designed to address underrepresentation in computing
fields. W e d escribe o ur c urrent a nd f uture w ork w ithin our
school-level research-practice partnership (RPP) with a local
middle school, used to guide the creation of this ecosystem.
Keywords—Research-Practice Partnership, K-12, STEM Ecosys-
tem
I. IN TRO DU CT IO N
Large segments of the U.S. population (e.g., women,
African-Americans, Hispanic/Latinx), have been historically
marginalized from participation in computationally-intensive
STEM professions and in the higher education degree pro-
grams that prepare them for those careers [1]. Efforts to
broaden participation in these fields a re a c ritical strategy
to expand and diversify the talent pool to meet the waxing
demand for STEM-trained professionals.
Policy makers have recently charged organizations who play
an important role in preK-12 STEM education with addressing
this issue by both helping to better understand its root causes
and developing innovative strategies to address it [2]. Informed
by these concerns we are establishing a computer science and
computational thinking (CS/CT) focused STEM ecosystem
that is cultivated and sustained through an existing Research-
Practice Partnership (RPP) at a middle school with high
racial/ethnic diversity to address and research the challenge of
broadening participation in CS focused academic programs.
The STEM ecosystem framework has emerged as a powerful
strategy for addressing STEM literacy and education [3]. It is
founded upon the understanding that building student capacity
and interest in STEM-focused academic activities needs to
be addressed in a systematic and coordinated fashion over
This work has been funded in part by NSF Grant No 1837439
978-1-7281-7172-2/20$31.00 ©2020 IEEE
_______________________________________________
teacher and student resources, robust CS/CT learning opportu-
nities, and adequate training that prepares all stakeholders to
broker opportunities directly and indirectly as students grow
their capacity and interest.
Our strategy incorporates a breadth and depth approach in
which breadth refers to exposing the entire, diverse student
body to culturally responsive CS/CT learning experiences
through introductory CS/CT-related activities in core academic
classes (e.g., mathematics, science). Additionally, this broad
exposure to CS/CT, starting in 6th grade, means building a
critical mass of experiences that students can share with their
school peers and build motivation and expertise, accelerating
student preparation for later CS/CT opportunities. Further-
more, intentional outreach to students’ homes and community
are provided by the school to expose parents, guardians,
and siblings to CS/CT activities and help bolster support for
student interest outside of school. Breadth is then coupled
with opportunities for students to deepen their interest through
additional learning endeavors that build their capacity for
success in high school and beyond.
To help realize the potential value of a CS/CT ecosystem,
our research team partnered with practitioner leaders at a
local middle school with a digital sciences magnet theme to
operationalize this model. Using an RPP approach, research
and practitioners collectively identified a problem of practice,
namely how do we broaden participation of underrepresented
populations in CS/CT through its integration into various
elements of the academic enterprise. Then, RPP team members
developed and iteratively refined strategies to address this
challenge.
III. PROG RE SS T O DATE AND FU TU RE D IR EC TI ON S
Since the inception of this RPP, university researchers
and practitioner leaders from the local middle school have
engaged in several collective efforts to infuse CT practices
into the school culture. The first major initiative was the
establishment of a digital sciences team (DST) during the
2018-2019 academic year. The DST is tasked with leading
efforts to integrate digital sciences and CT throughout the
school. The team is comprised of researchers, school leaders,
and a representative from each subject area. The team reviews
and plans programs and activities for students and parents.
Researchers also collaborated with the school’s leadership
to assemble a teacher leader cohort charged with leading CT
and CS integration efforts including school-wide professional
development (PD). To become teacher leaders, these individ-
uals were required to attend a weeklong summer training
on infusing computing. In order to build the content and
pedagogical knowledge of other teachers within the school,
the cohort holds monthly PD sessions during their subject-area
planning times. The teachers then offer follow-up support to
their peers as needed.
University researchers also provide direct support to teach-
ers as they co-develop curricular units and implement them
within their classrooms. To date, all students have engaged in
CS practices within their science classrooms to learn important
content standards through computational modeling. Last year,
the research team collaborated with all science teachers to
develop and implement curricular units that provided students
with achievable and relevant opportunities to use, modify, and
create their own computational models to simulate scientific
concepts.
Importantly, effective communication and trusting relation-
ships facilitate the development and maintenance of produc-
tive RPPs. As such, researchers have dedicated considerable
time and resources to designing systems that foster regular
communication and rapport building with school leadership
and staff in an effort to increase buy-in and knowledge about
creating a school-wide CS/CT-focused ecosystem. Members
of the RPP team engage in bi-weekly meetings to review and
resolve teacher issues, and research-practitioner duos attend
professional meetings to deepened their understanding about
navigating a RPP. Notably, the team also hosted a research-
practice partnership kick off meeting to inform all school staff
of the current and future work at the beginning of the 2019-20
academic year. Through this deep and consistent dialogue, the
team builds a common understanding of vision, problems of
practice, and metrics of success. Finally, the ecosystem work
also extends to families and parents as the RPP team co-plans
and supports several outreach events and activities such as
curriculum showcase nights, school-wide magnet fairs, and a
family code night at the school.
Now that we have established the trust and respect of school
leadership, we are planning more intensive and focused data
collection and analysis. These efforts will enable us to study
barriers to developing an ecosystem that supports CS/CT for
every student, factors or interventions needed to support that
development, indicators of success, and an understanding of
how the ecosystem prepares and engages all students for
future CS/CT work beyond middle school. Data collection and
analysis will be iterative as new insights emerge about new
factors pertinent to the ecosystem. Our overarching goal is to
generate new knowledge about how to grow STEM ecosystems
that support CS/CT learning for all students.
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[3] STEM Funders Network, ”STEM Learning Ecosystems,” STEM Funders
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[4] W. R. Penuel, T. L. Clark, and B. Bevan, B., ”Infrastructures to Support
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