CS for oregon: supporting and sustaining evidence-based computer science education

Oregon State University, in collaboration with the University of Oregon and Portland State University, received a $1.0 million Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070). The award, effective September 1, 2025 through August 31, 2028, supports the development and implementation of evidence-based computer science (CS) education programs across K-12 schools throughout Oregon. The project delivers comprehensive products and services including teacher preparation and professional development using the Exploring Computer Science curriculum; action research support to deepen practice among experienced CS educators; and administrator training to develop institutional champions of rigorous CS education. The initiative operates as a research-practice partnership leveraging expertise from computer science research, education research, and high school teaching practice, working collaboratively with the Oregon Department of Education and the NSF-sponsored Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance.

The project employs an integrated approach combining bottom-up teacher leadership development with top-down administrative support to establish lasting pathways for CS education sustainability. Key deliverables include workforce development services preparing teachers with any credential to teach evidence-based CS courses, capacity-building services for experienced CS teachers assuming educational leadership roles, and institutional support services targeting school administrators. Research and evaluation activities examine how teacher preparation, retention, and administrative support create sustainable CS educational opportunities and diverse student pathways. Sub-award partners Portland State University and University of Oregon contribute specialized expertise to support these educational initiatives and generate knowledge about the educator workforce requirements for establishing and maintaining rigorous, foundational CS education in Oregon schools.

Abstract

Oregon state university-cascades, in collaboration with the university of oregon and portland state university, will address the challenge of building, expanding and sustaining high-quality computer science (CS) programs in K-12 schools throughout oregon. The project team will investigate how teacher preparation, retention, and school-level administrative support create lasting CS educational opportunities for all students and investigate how this comprehensive approach creates lasting pathways for expanding and sustaining CS education across oregon. The project outcomes will benefit society through having a more computationally literate pipeline of students for college, careers, creative endeavors, and civic participation. The CS for oregon csforall high school strand research-practice partnership brings together expertise in computer science research, education research, and high school teaching practice and works closely with key personnel from the oregon department of education (ODE) such as the oregon team participating in the NSF-sponsored expanding computing education pathways (ECEP) alliance. The project staff will prepare existing teachers with any credential to teach exploring computer science, an evidence-based course shown to engage all students. Alongside teacher preparation, the project researchers will support and study how experienced CS teachers deepen their practice through action research while building agency as educational leaders to expand and sustain CS. This bottom-up approach is complemented with top-down support for teacher leaders by preparing administrators to move from passive engagement to knowledgeable and active champions of rigorous and evidence-based CS. This project will contribute significant new knowledge about the educator workforce needed to establish and maintain evidence-based, rigorous, foundational CS education, with particular attention to how school systems can be developed and networked to support program sustainability, especially in rural and high-poverty communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.