Project Grant 2122588

The University of Pittsburgh received a $299,652 project grant award from the National Science Foundation Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings under the federal STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076). The grant will support a collaboration between multiple school districts to develop justice-focused computational thinking pathways for middle school English language arts from September 2021 to February 2023. The University of Pittsburgh, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will leverage the funding to create curricula and instructional materials integrating computational skills with social studies themes like fairness and ethics. The project aims to broaden participation in STEM among underrepresented groups through humanities-driven computing education. By incorporating principles of social justice into middle school coursework, the multi-district partnership hopes to strengthen computational literacy and better prepare students for future STEM careers.