Introduction Section:
The awareness and involvement of the key community and industry stakeholders are essential to support K-12 school investments in programming opportunities. Providing this foundation in K-12 will open up additional avenues with the workplace, technical school, and college pathways for students.
State-Level Goal:
Our state-level goal is to use strong connections and planning to increase the quality of and access to computer science education in the state.
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State-Level Strategies and Recommendations
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Increase awareness of the current computer science landscape in the state, communicate the state plan, and receive/analyze feedback about the state plan from a variety of stakeholders. Communicate milestones met and next steps for the state plan.
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DPI works with CESAs to showcase student work/projects for lawmakers, advocates, industry professionals, higher education, and other stakeholders.
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Recognize excellent teachers and districts in collaboration with state partners to elevate sharing and collaboration across the state.
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Use Xello and other programs to conduct outreach to increase awareness, break down barriers, and collaborate with external partners to identify and expand internship/apprentice opportunities for students.
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Create professional development hubs within CESAs that will train and support K-12 computer science educators specifically on the CSforALL SCRIPT program, WISELearn Computer Science Hub, and statewide professional learning networks.
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Work with Wisconsin School Counselor Association (WSCA) and DPI ACP Coordinator to better inform and educate school counselors about the importance of a foundation of computer science regardless of a student’s intended major.
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Create a cadre of computer science community leaders from each CESA to disseminate information from the state level to each district in their CESA.
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Leverage technology and collaborative tech tools to build the capacity and awareness of various stakeholders
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Use the existing Wisconsin Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA-WI) mailing list as a channel for educators to share with each other and to inform the implementation of the plan.
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District Strategies and Implementation
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Share your district’s computer science work with lawmakers, legislators, advocates, industry professionals, higher education, community partners, and other stakeholders.
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Participate in conversations with CESAs and other districts related to computer science to understand, evaluate, and inform planning and programming practices.
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Analyze local, state, and national industry leaders for opportunities to connect and inform learning.
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Consider how computer science integrates with the work your district is already doing.
