SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) recently received the National Science Foundation’s 2021 Computer Science for All Grant titled Culturally-responsive teaching for supporting positive computer science identities among Latinx girls. The objective of the nearly $1 million, three-year grant is to apply culturally responsive teaching to computational thinking practices that will provide an opportunity to support positive identity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) in LatinX and Latina-identifying students.
“Through equitable, engaging teaching practices, LatinX and Latina-identifying students are provided opportunities to grow and thrive in STEM fields, making for a more diverse and representative future workforce in Silicon Valley,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science and support basic research “to create knowledge that transforms the future.”
The most recent data from school districts across the nation and in Santa Clara County show a significant achievement gap in mathematics for 4th and 5th grade LatinX and Latina-identifying students, compared to their white and Asian counterparts.
The SCCOE, in partnership with Krause Center of Innovation, San José State University College of Science Center for STEM Education, and WestEd recently completed the pilot phase of a project that provided professional learning opportunities in mathematics and computational thinking to teachers of 4th and 5th grade students from three partnering school districts. Teachers from Berryessa Union School District, Orchard School District, and Milpitas Unified School District explored practices in creating effective math lessons that are culturally relevant and engaging to all students, with a specific emphasis on Latinx and Latina-identifying students.
“As a premier service organization, the SCCOE prioritizes partnerships and collaboration to improve outcomes for all students in Santa Clara County,” said Dr. Dewan. “We are better together and working collaboratively with educators and education leaders, we can ensure students have every opportunity and tool they need to be successful in their future in the field of their choosing.”
More information about the SCCOE iSTEAM department can be found on the SCCOE
website.
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About the Santa Clara County Office of Education
Working collaboratively with school and community partners, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional, business, and technology services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The County Office of Education directly serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The SCCOE also provides academic and fiscal oversight and monitoring to districts in addition to the 22 Santa Clara County Board of Education authorized charter schools.