Culturally Responsive Computational Thinking  in the PK-5 Classroom

IMPACT is a research-practice partnership (RPP) among 5 school districts and programs in Central Massachusetts, researchers from WPI and UMass Dartmouth, and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). This project is funded through NSF (award #2031477). The goal of the project was to co-design standards-aligned and culturally responsive professional development (PD) that integrates computational thinking (CT) into the PK-5 curriculum and instruction. The PD was piloted by RPP members in August 2022, and is being updated based on feedback from participants. Participating school districts and programs include: Ashburnham-Westminster Regional School District, Belchertown Public Schools, Fitchburg Public Schools, Worcester Public Schools, and Worcester Child Development Head Start.