Renewed Support for the Expanding Computing Education Pathways Alliance

The National Science Foundation renewed its support for the Expanding Computing Education Pathways alliance (ECEP), adding six new states: Washington, Oregon, Minnesota, Ohio, Hawaii, and Mississippi. The alliance's mission is to create a network of K-12 computer science education advocacy teams, with a particular focus on equitable access and engagement, including for students of all abilities. The alliance website (ecepalliance.org) contains numerous materials for streamlining both political advocacy, as well as grassroots professional development and pre-service teacher education efforts.

The Washington State team, led by Professor Amy J. Ko in the University of Washington Information School, and named CS for all, also includes leadership from Microsoft TEALS, the state's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Puget Sound Computer Science Teachers Association, the state's networks of Educational Service Districts, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which has a long tradition of supporting STEM education efforts. One of the team's goals is to launch a network of pre-service CS teacher education programs that place equity at the center of teacher learning.