CSforALL Conducted a National Survey at the Eighth Annual Summit to Identify the “Why” Behind Computer Science Education and Uplift Community Voices
At this year’s eighth annual CSforALL Summit in Milwaukee, WI, CSforALL launched a new campaign designed to answer the question, “Why do you commit to CSforALL?” The goal of this campaign is to emphasize and refocus on the driving forces behind why we do this work. While understanding our “why” is essential for motivation and direction, it is equally important to recognize that building and expanding networks plays a critical role in achieving success in our work. By speaking about our “why” in a national setting, we can both refocus our community and build new and existing connections that ultimately empower us to achieve the core mission of CSforALL: ensuring equitable access to computer science for all students.
To uncover the motivations behind this work, CSforALL reached out to our community in order to hear their diverse perspectives and voices; while we all share a common goal of equitable computer science for all K-12 students, our wide variety of members and partners all work towards this goal for different reasons and in different ways.
Attendees Self-Selected Their “Why”
As Summit attendees registered from across the nation, 274 attendees perused the opportunity to reflect on their “why” and chose a reason to reflect on their work and beliefs around computer science education. Attendees filled out a brief survey upon registration and then chose a colored ribbon to signify that “why” by wearing it on their conference badge throughout the Summit, helping to spark conversations and forge new connections between attendees through thought-provoking discussions. These attendees make up a broad, national audience and come from a variety of organizations including nonprofits, schools and school districts, institutions of higher learning, educational service providers, corporate and industry partners, and more.
While everyone in the CSforALL community has their own individual reasons and motivations behind their work, CSforALL identified six main areas that hopefully encapsulate a majority of our “whys” while also providing an “other” category for those who may want to share something else.
The six categories identified by CSforALL include Equitable Access, CS Literacy, Post-Secondary Pathways, Workforce Development, Economic Mobility, Creativity and Innovation, and Other.
Creativity and Innovation represents how computer science fosters creative thinking, experimentation, and innovative problem-solving, inspiring the next generation of innovators and sparking a lifelong passion for technology. This was the most commonly selected “why,” chosen by 24.72% of attendees, primarily by school districts, universities, and individual schools.
“Creativity and innovation in computer science education (CSed) are the driving forces that transform theoretical knowledge into groundbreaking solutions and new technology. To me, creativity in CSed means empowering students to think outside traditional boundaries and explore unique approaches to problem-solving, whether through designing algorithms, coding interactive applications, or developing user-centric digital experiences. It’s about encouraging an environment where experimentation, even failure, is part of the learning process that leads to deeper understanding and resilience.”
— Dr. Emily Geiger, Western Upper Peninsula MiSTEM Network Director, Copper Country Intermediate School District
Equitable Access means ensuring all students, regardless of background, have equal opportunities to access, participate, learn, and excel in computer science education and is crucial for creating a diverse and inclusive tech industry. This “why” was chosen by 24.34% of attendees primarily by universities and content providers.
“To me, equitable access means every student being able to have the ability at their school to take a computer science course. I’m also thinking about more than just access and really student experiences. Once students do get into a computer science course, what is it like? Do they still feel welcome? Do they feel like they want to continue it? I think equitable access is really the first step and then trying to make sure everything is relevant to them is the higher level.”
— Jen Tsan, Research Associate, WestEd
CS Literacy is the foundational understanding of computer science concepts, programming, and problem-solving, and is essential for effective participation in today’s digital world. This “why” was chosen by 19.62% of attendees primarily by school districts, universities, and state departments of education.
“Literacy in the traditional sense is the ability to read, but it’s also more than that; it’s comfort with the written word. I feel like I want people, all people, to have comfort and familiarity with the ideas of computer science, to be literate in our computational world. I want everyone in Congress to know a little bit about computer science. I want my doctor to understand when they’re typing stuff in; I want them to understand a lot more about my body than they do about this technology, but everybody having a little bit of fluency is really, really important to me.”
— Dr. Michelle Friend, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Workforce Development focuses on creating a skilled and diverse workforce to meet the growing demand for tech talent. This includes efforts to educate, train, and upskill individuals to fill roles in the tech industry. This “why” was chosen by 14.34% of attendees primarily by universities, corporate or private institutions, and content providers.
“The world that kids, especially those in earlier grades, are going to graduate into is very different. At Forward Education, we focus on climate literacy and computer science and STEM; the problems that are global and universal and affect us all are problems that we don’t have solutions to in many cases. We need to inspire young learners especially, but middle school and high school students as well, to want to solve those problems and to give them the skills they need in order to address some of those big, huge problems that we need them to solve.”
— Cam Davies, Product Marketer, Forward Education
Post-Secondary Pathways centers on opportunities to further students’ education beyond K-12 and develop specialized skills in the computer science field. These pathways can lead to a variety of rewarding careers in technology. This “why” was chosen by 10.94% of attendees primarily by universities and school districts.
“I feel like if students know the goal behind learning some of the computer science courses and where it can lead them in the future, it is easier for us to teach them computer science. For example, a student says, ‘I don’t know where I’m going to use this game in class in the future; I don’t want to be a game developer.’ I tell them, ‘You’re taking a class that is fun, but you need to learn some problem solving, critical thinking, and organization. That’s what’s going to take you to higher courses in the future.’ I want students to know any computer science they take in school will help them succeed in college, even if they don’t pursue computer science. Wherever they go it is a requirement for them to have a computer science background.”
— Fatima Tlemsani, Teacher, Elmbrook Schools, Brookfield East High School
Economic Mobility refers to the ability of individuals to move up the socioeconomic ladder. Computer science education can play a significant role in promoting economic mobility by providing students with the skills and knowledge needed to secure stable jobs in the tech industry. This “why” was chosen by 5.47% of attendees primarily by universities and school districts.
“To me, I feel like computer science education levels the playing field. It means that students, and anybody really, that has an inclination or interest in bettering their lives, maybe moving up out of poverty, taking on new challenges: CS can do this for them. Studying computer science, AI skills, digital literacy, etc. positions them to compete in a global marketplace, and if they want to stay in their rural community, they can do that because they can work remotely. But they can bring in their paycheck from out of state, and all of a sudden they’re bettering their lives.”
— Angela Oechslie, Program Director, Educate Maine
As we strive to make computer science accessible to all students, it’s crucial to recognize the diverse motivations fueling our efforts. By understanding and centering on the “why” behind our work, we can strengthen our community, spark innovation, and ultimately realize our shared goal of equitable access to computer science education. By highlighting the diverse motivations driving CS education, CSforALL aims to inspire and empower individuals and organizations to continue their work in this critical field.
