Crossroads Conference Brings Together Leaders in K-12 Computer Science (CS) Education

The Infosys Foundation USA sponsored the Crossroads 2023 Conference at the Infosys Innovation Center in Tempe, Arizona, near the Arizona State University campus, on February 7 – 9, 2023. The conference brought together more than 230 leaders in K-!2 computer science education from around the nation. The conference was organized into three tracks: Empowering Inclusive Communities, Enabling Diverse Pathways, and Driving Innovative Partnerships. Each track consisted of a sequence of one hour panels that delved into specific issues confronting K-12 CS education. 

A panel titled “CS for All: Inclusion and Accessibility Unlock the Talent of Every Student” was about best practices for including students with disabilities in CS and was moderated by AccessComputing PI Richard Ladner. The panelists were Shireen Hafeez, creator of Deaf Kids Code, Beth Rosenberg, creator of Tech Kids Unlimited, and Andreas Stefik, the creator of the accessible Quorum programming environment. The three panelists described their programs, gave advice to teachers on how to include students with disabilities in computer science courses, and presented ideas on how to close the participation gap that currently exists for students with disabilities in computing classes. There was consensus among the panelists that progress has been made in making K-12 CS more accessible, but there is still a long way to go.