Exploring CS Education Policy Through the Lens of State Governance Models: Access, Accountability and Authority

Abstract

Computer science (CS) education policy efforts have accelerated since 2016 through the work of various governmental, advocacy, and CS-focused organizations. CS policy implementation is typically led by CS education state supervisors (CSEdSS) at state education agencies (SEA), whose responsibilities may encompass training CS teachers, allocating resources, and informing teacher certification. Despite efforts to expand K-12 CS education through a set of 10 nationally-recommended policies, equity issues persist in terms of access for historically marginalized students to learn CS. Moreover, while states may adopt the same policy, each state has their own model of state education governance (SEG). These models determine authority and accountability - how education decision-making and policies are made and implemented. This study explores the relationship between SEG models and impact of CS education policy implementation by exploring the average rate of growth in access to high school (HS) CS and percent of CS education policies adopted across SEG models. Data sources include publicly available data of secondary CS access and CSEdSS survey and focus groups. Preliminary findings indicate the need to consider SEG models when enacting CS education policy to balance accountability with authority when enacting CS education policy related to expanding equitable and accessible K-12 CS education.