MENTORS in CS

Matching Experienced and Novice Teachers for Ongoing Rigorous Support in Computer Science

As the number of CS teachers increases to meet the burgeoning course offerings in the U.S., teachers new to the discipline need additional supports beyond one-time workshops focused on particular curricula. To address this need, we developed a year-long, equity-focused peer mentoring program.

Mentors are teachers with 5+ years of CS teaching experience, and mentees are teachers who are new to teaching CS. They are strategically matched in 1:1 partnerships based on context and goals. Across one academic year, they meet twice monthly to identify and work towards three goals related to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers. Through individualized support through 1:1 mentorship, teachers will demonstrate increased confidence, pedagogical content knowledge, and use of equitable and inclusive teaching practices.

Project Description HANDOUT

Activities

Key project activities include:

teacher recruitment and matching
one-on-one mentoring
mentoring tools and resources development
mentor training
community of practice

Each activity has embedded equity supports.

Observed CS Teacher Outcomes

Mentees demonstrated:

a reflective stance towards their teaching
increased confidence in CS teaching knowledge and pedagogical practices
increased use of equitable and inclusive teaching practices

Mentors demonstrated:

high confidence in CS teaching
greater skills and confidence in their abilities to mentor and support other teachers

Mentoring Tools

Our team has developed several tools to support a structured mentoring process aligned to the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers. Tools include a self-reflection, relationship building structures, partnership agreement, goal setting templates, example goals, and mentoring meeting logs.

MENTORS in CS Toolkit

Get Involved

We seek high school CS teachers to participate in the mentorship program. Currently, our program is limited to teachers in Wisconsin, but we plan to expand to CSTA New Jersey and the Black Affinity Group in 2024-25.

Mentors

5+ years experience teaching CS, and interested in leadership, collaboration, and professional growth

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APPLY

Mentees

New to teaching CS, and interested in professional growth, collaboration, and community building

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apply

A group of Wisconsin CS teachers pose for a photo during summer professional development for the PUMP_CS project. Teachers hold signs indicating a high level of teaching experience and lower level of CS teaching experience.

Learning through Research

Initial data suggest that both mentees and mentors benefitted from the program, increasing their confidence in teaching and mentoring. Through design-based implementation research, we continuously improved structures and resources across the first two years of implementation in Wisconsin.

Learn more in our recent research publications:

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