Victoria Andrews

Sonal Patel and Tonya Coats on What it Takes to Advance Computer Science Education

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    Collaborative partnerships and community engagement are essential for bridging gaps in computer science education and ensuring equitable opportunities for all students.

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In this episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we’re thrilled to host Dr. Sonal Patel and Tonya Coats. This duo is supporting the computer science education across California by focusing on equity and access. They share insights into a comprehensive, multi-agency system designed to provide sustainable professional learning infrastructure for educators, ensuring that students across diverse backgrounds gain critical skills in collaboration, design thinking, and problem-solving.

Throughout our conversation, Dr. Patel and Ms. Coats emphasize the significance of equity-minded instruction in computer science, detailing how their programs aim to empower educators with the strategies and tools needed to integrate equity-focused practices into their teaching. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in understanding how to build equitable learning environments that not only address current educational disparities but also prepare students for the demands of the 21st-century workforce.

Outline

Welcome to the Getting Smart Podcast

Victoria Andrews: Hi, you’re listening to the Getting Smart podcast. I’m Victoria Andrews, and I believe in solid coalitions for strategic change in education.

Often, the work we do can be in a silo, and so much can be learned from our neighbors next door who are also working in their silos. Today, we are joined by two extraordinary team members, and we’re going to explore some of the work they’re doing both locally and across several districts in California. The work they do helps expose young people to critical skills such as collaboration, the design process, and other durable skills like critical thinking and public speaking.

Their work is through the California Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science Professional Learning Partnerships, better known as Cal MSCS. This solid community is a comprehensive multi-agency system designed to provide a sustainable, impactful, professional learning infrastructure for mathematics, science, and computer science educators across the Golden State.

Victoria Andrews: I’m grateful to be joined today by two members of the Cal MSCS team and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools: Dr. Sonal Patel, who serves as the program manager for digital learning and computer science education, and Tanya Coats, the digital learning and computer science specialist. These two deeply believe in community. They support partnerships and grants on a local, state, and national level. Ladies, I’m so excited for both of you to join us today.

Sonal Patel: Thank you. That made us sound really awesome. We’re really excited to be here today. Thank you for having us.

Tonya Coats: We’re just going to start off by discussing what keeps you up at night. You are both in collaboration with each other and, like I said, with other networks across the country and the state. What keeps you up at night when it comes to education?

When I was young, I didn’t have the space to learn what computer science was and didn’t have the tools to actually access and feel and touch computer science. It wasn’t until I got into college that I actually understood what computer science was.

Tonya Coats: So I often think about what if I had that exposure when I was young? What could I possibly be at this point in life? Just giving students that opportunity at a young age to have exposure to computer science and feel comfortable in those spaces.

Sonal Patel: I love that. I’m going to piggyback off of that. There are a lot of things that keep me up at night. Believe me, Tanya will tell you, she gets the most random messages late at night.

Equity in Computer Science

Sonal Patel: One of the biggest things, in the spirit of us talking about computer science education, is the amount of work we still have to do in computer science education.

In 2018, I came to the county office, and in my role as county office coordinator at the time, I was charged with leading the educational technology program. But my boss at the time said, “Hey, we need to bring computer science education in.”

Because I wasn’t well-versed in the computer science education space, I decided to get myself a CS supplemental credential. The very first module in that credential program was actually equity in computer science education. It was from there, through research by Jane Margolis and Jean Ru, as well as some really important researchers and figures in computer science education, that I realized there’s a lot of work to be done. There are huge disparities and inequities in the computer science space. It reminded me, similar to Tanya, of my own upbringing. I grew up in an immigrant family back in the UK and was an English language learner. We had lots of financial and racial barriers that prevented us from accessing the kind of opportunities that we’d see around us.

On top of that, I went to an all-middle-class school, so just coming in as someone who looked different and having limited opportunities, I realized the systematic barriers in place when it comes to trying to get our kids access and opportunities in computer science education. So that’s what continues to keep me up at night. There’s lots to be said about that as well.

Victoria Andrews: I really appreciate that. In conversations we’ve had, it’s allowed me to be reflective on how I grew up as well. My dad was a computer science engineer in the ’80s and ’90s, and I didn’t realize how much exposure to computer science I had at that time, which was very rare.

We grew up in a house that had multiple computers and technology of that time, and just having conversations with him that he would integrate while we were at dinner. I took it all for granted because I thought, “Oh, dad’s being boring. He’s talking about blah, blah, blah.” It had nothing to do with me. But in conversations, not just with you all but with other people, I’ve realized over time just how much access I did have that other people did not. It’s important to make sure that other young people growing up have those same opportunities, if not similar or something parallel to that.

Both of you touched upon equity as a driving factor of what keeps you up at night and what fuels your desire to make sure that educators and anyone in a learning environment has access to computer science and supports young people as they continue to explore this.

Seasons of CS Program

Victoria Andrews: It reminds me of some of the work you all are doing with the Seasons of Computer Science, right?

Sonal Patel: Right. Yeah, that’s correct.

Victoria Andrews: Can you share a little bit more? I think it’s super unique because it includes peer professionals, educators, and counselors. Can you provide a little more perspective into that work?

Sonal Patel: The Seasons of CS Program is a result of the Educator Workforce Investment Grant, a $15 million grant that we were awarded along with the Sacramento County Office of Education back in 2023. It runs through the end of June. There was a previous grant before that, the 2021 grant, that supported the same thing: high-quality professional learning for California educators, paraprofessionals, administrators, and counselors interested in bringing computer science to students.

The program essentially works to expand the capacity for equitable, scalable, and sustainable computer science education in California. We recognize there’s a growing need for computer science professional learning programs. We also know there’s a growing need for high-quality professional programs immersed in these spaces.

Part of what we do in the Seasons of CS program is have ongoing sessions. We call it Seasons of CS because there’s a Winter of CS, a Fall of CS, and a Summer of CS. We have a whole week dedicated to high-quality professional learning. We have different programs that run during that week. For example, code.org runs a workshop, we have Bootstrap Algebra, Everyday AI, and many reputable names. One of them is actually Equity-Minded Instruction in Computer Science Education, which we designed at San Bernardino County. It was initially brought to us because there was a growing need for current CS programs to integrate the idea of equity-mindedness in instruction.

Equity-Minded Instruction in Computer Science

Sonal Patel: I want to turn it over to Tanya to speak more about equity-minded instruction because she’s a facilitator for that program. So, yeah, go for it.

Tonya Coats: Well, thank you, Sonal. I’m going to refer to it as EMIX because it’s such a long title. Sometimes I forget and mispronounce it. EMIX, which stands for Equity-Minded Instruction in Computer Science, was developed by Dr. Patel and Shea Chan from UCLA. It’s designed to empower educators with the strategies and tools to integrate equity-focused instruction in CS. We geared it towards grades 6 through 12. Essentially, we equip teachers to investigate pedagogies to ensure representation in CS. We provide hands-on experience for teachers to connect CS concepts to real-world problem-solving activities. We leverage frameworks such as the CAPE Center Framework to bring student identity, culture, and lived experiences into the classroom.

One of the frameworks we include is the United Nations Global Goals. This encourages educators to address real-world challenges because the biggest part of computer science is making things meaningful. A lot of times, we talk about concepts, and students wonder how it applies in real life. But having that connection is crucial. For example, we did some projects during the summer where students created a wind turbine. In California, when the wind gets really bad, they shut off electricity to prevent fires. One student created a project where, whenever electricity shuts off, a wind turbine turns on and creates electricity to run household appliances. Creating those lived experiences connects students to solving something useful. We also provide strategies and toolkits to create a good computer science environment in their spaces.

I’m super excited. We did this last summer and plan to have it available next summer. It’s one of those courses where we’ve built a great community of practice. We still keep in contact throughout the year, and we’re like a little family now.

Collaborating for Equity and Social Justice

Victoria Andrews: I want us to take a step back. When we hear the word equity, especially in education, there are so many different definitions. Based on your perspective or role, can you share a little about what you mean by equity in computer science? Because, I’m not going to lie, that wasn’t a term I was familiar with even a year or two ago—equity in computer science. I knew about equity in terms of access to resources or experiences, like internships or making sure students had laptops. But what does it mean to be equity-minded in computer science?

Tonya Coats: I honestly think it means, first, giving students exposure. Just having the exposure to know what’s available is one aspect of equity. A lot of times, students don’t know what they don’t know. They have no idea. So, one, just that exposure to computer science, but also bringing in the tools and resources to apply these skills in the classroom. There’s a lot of times where students don’t even have access to things like physical computing and other resources to practice those concepts. Additionally, bringing their identity into this is important, like bringing in speakers they can relate to, bringing in girls in the field to ask questions about what it’s like being a girl in computer science. It’s about creating a sense of belonging and ensuring representation.

Victoria Andrews: That notion of representation matters because it doesn’t just matter for young people. Having that equity lens also matters for adults. I know you guys have done some work with Learning for Google. Can you talk a little about that and what it has done for some of the adult learners in the computer science space who may not feel comfortable?

Tonya Coats: The great thing about this is that I’ve been able to be exposed to companies like Google. I’ve been trained on how to use Google tools, and Google has had me speak on their platform to show what computer science can look like as a female and a woman of color in computer science. It’s great to be part of such a huge organization and be represented in such a way and give exposure to others.

Victoria Andrews: Because, like you said, if you as an adult were having your “freak out” moment on the campus of Google, then I’m sure when you’re sharing that with other young people of color or just other young people that might be historically excluded in the computer science space, there’s a connection. They can see themselves in that, and it’s not so far off. I love that you had that moment for yourself. As a facilitator, what does it mean to be able to present on computer science topics in other spaces?

Tonya Coats: Well, as you ask this question, I want to share what happened when I was presenting at EMIX this summer. Me, Bella, and Issa were all in this space, and someone from the organization came up to us and said, “Wow, you’re three women of color in this space. This is so good to see. We don’t see this often. You need to do more of this.” Just seeing us in the spaces made him feel like, okay, we need to see more of this.

Victoria Andrews: That’s the power of community. That is truly the power of community, of bringing in people and allowing them to showcase their skills and utilizing the collective genius. You sparked something in him that made him feel comfortable and confident enough to connect with you, which in turn will hopefully allow him to have that same confidence and share his knowledge in his own community. I’m super proud and grateful to hear this story you’re sharing, Tanya.

Sonal Patel: Tanya came out and told us about it immediately, and I felt so excited and inspired by it all. That one interaction may have started something new, as Victoria was saying. Tanya’s not just partners with this organization; she’s got so many different partnerships along with me, with Microbit. She’s the Microbit Champion, CS Champion. We’re both part of the CSTA Equity Fellowship Program. Speaking of community, those programs have helped us to not perfect our craft, because nothing’s perfect, right? But they’ve helped us to build on some of the work we’re doing by listening to diverse perspectives, bringing in additional resources and insights, and understanding more about grant opportunities to support the work we’re doing.

Tonya Coats: Speaking of the CSTA Equity Fellows, it’s a fellowship part of CSTA. They select educators and administrators from across the country to learn about equitable practices in their spaces and give them the confidence to make changes. It feels like you have someone in your corner.

Victoria Andrews: Yeah.

Tonya Coats: There are teachers and administrators from across the country with different perspectives on how things are working in their areas, maybe laws that have been changed. They need ideas on what’s working well in their spaces. It’s been one of the best ways I’ve developed as a person fighting for equity in computer science. I just wanted to highlight them because Sonal introduced me to this space, and from there, it’s been a great experience.

Sonal Patel: It was from the CSTA Equity Fellowship that I got the idea and inspiration for my own doctoral dissertation, which was about broad access and participation experience of computer science education, particularly for students of color. The whole dissertation was based around the CS for All SCRIPT training workshop that they put on across the nation. Tanya and I are both facilitators for that program. I wasn’t able to facilitate the particular one I did for my dissertation, but I was able to observe the 10 districts that participated across our county. They immersed themselves in that program, participated in that workshop, and developed some vision, mission, and goals related to their systematic efforts around computer science education.

What I really saw was the need for all partners to be involved, whether it be the administrator or the classroom educator. That was big because the teachers in that workshop, in that district team, felt excited that their administrators, site school administrators, school district leaders, and counselors were there having those important conversations.

I have a 14-year-old daughter, and I went to her school to meet with the counselor. The counselor was giving her specific advice, and some advice was amazing, but others made me realize how much my daughter was listening to the counselor. What the counselor was saying resonated with her more than when I told her she was capable of something. So, I think that is really important when it comes to counselors’ conversations with students.

Back to this workshop, what we discovered was that more was needed as part of this workshop experience, which Tanya and I have been able to evolve into our new iteration of that workshop. The more is about how we give districts guidance about equity work in computer science education. In terms of every partner at that table’s role, how can you influence it? For example, can we give some talking points to counselors when it comes to speaking to students about their potentials for computer science education?

Can we bring more girls into computer science education at the district admin level? What program are they using? Have they vetted it for cultural responsiveness? There are different lenses. If you are a classroom educator, what can you do to enhance the identity piece that Tanya was talking about earlier? There is just so much to do. Creating that framework, called Collaborating for Equity and Social Justice in Computer Science Framework, and I’ll definitely include that as one of your resources, we’ve been able to enhance our county programs.

Victoria Andrews: Oh, I love that. You guys have highlighted so many of the key aspects of being in community, not just on a local level, but a statewide and even a global level. Whether it’s partnerships with Google or being able to connect and build your network across content as well as across roles within a specific district.

And there are 33 schools in your district. You guys reach and touch 400,000 students. What are some of the barriers you’ve had to face and overcome with the different initiatives you guys are piloting and supporting?

Sonal Patel: I know we talked about this earlier.

Overcoming Barriers in Education

Sonal Patel: We really do cover a vast geographic region here in San Bernardino County. Part of the conversation we’ve had as a team is about how we reach our students and educators in rural areas. As a county, we are one of the largest geographically in the entire nation. What can we do to provide hybrid opportunities? The Seasons of CS program offers something called Hub and Spoke, which has been a successful model. When we say Hub and Spoke, we’re talking about one location being the hub for professional learning and multiple other locations having an in-person space with Zoom capabilities. They’re able to participate in person from their respective spaces across our region. We’ve been innovative in those approaches, trying to give access to anyone anywhere within our location.

Some other barriers include a lack of capacity built in computer science education specifically for our K-5 educators. We have curriculums and programs for our secondary educators, but how do we help our K-5 educators when computer science isn’t mandatory? How do we help them bring it in and integrate it into their curricular areas? That’s where Cal MSCS really comes in, where we can bridge that gap and think of ways to merge high-quality math, science, and computer science education for all of our students, cultivating statewide communities of practice to support that.

Within our county, we have so many unique needs depending on which school district we’re working with. We may have one district with a high population of socio-economically disadvantaged students and another dealing with attendance issues. We might have one with a high population of Latinx and Black students, and we want to ensure they get the same opportunities as students in more middle-class areas. We deal with different populations and want to ensure each of those populations is not limited in resources available to a particular demographic. We are traveling all the time, speaking to different state partners, and connecting with folks in our community to see what we can do to support some of their initiatives.

Community Partnerships and Support

Tonya Coats: It’s super important that we, as a county, partnership with different departments within our county. We are doing some work with SBC Alliance. We partnered with them to get a grant for $100,000 to bring computer science and physical computing to all 33 school districts. We’re training teachers in elementary, middle, and high school on the importance of computer science, bringing in student identity, and connecting computer science to real-world, to the workforce. Just having those partnerships within our community, we’ve been able to do a lot more things versus just our department alone.

Sonal Patel: We have such a family and unique situation here in our county office. It’s a very large county office supported by an awesome superintendent. I’m not just saying that because he is the big boss, but he really supports our mission to transform lives through education. That’s part of his mission, and those strategic initiatives we have incorporate computer science and equity within that. It should be the drive of our whole county to support this initiative along with all the initiatives. It continues to be something we enjoy doing. We enjoy collaborating with different departments here across our county office to find unique ways to collaborate and help support our work and their work when it pertains to computer science, equity, and their specific content areas.

Victoria Andrews: Dr. Patel and Tanya, I appreciate how you’ve highlighted that it’s not just one template of community. It’s making sure that people who normally don’t have access to this information, whether it’s elementary teachers, students, families, and caregivers from historically excluded communities or those in more rural areas, have the supports they need. You’re creating an avenue for everyone to have an on-ramp. Whether I’m a counselor who didn’t go into counseling to become a computer science expert or a fifth-grade science teacher who didn’t think I’d touch computer science, you’re helping those roles that still touch young people’s lives see they have a hand in this.

It’s not just for now, but for the future of our young people to ensure they have access to those skills. To bring it back to what you mentioned at the very beginning, both of you mentioned how in your upbringing, the sheer exposure could have changed the trajectory of your lives. Hopefully, you would’ve ended up in similar areas where you’re still touching the lives of young people. But that early exposure and reliance on more than one touchpoint really makes a difference. I’m super grateful to both of you for the work you’re doing on behalf of young people across the country, but more specifically in your area of California.

Conclusion and Resources

Victoria Andrews: If people want to learn more about the different cohorts you mentioned, the different programs, or Cal MSCS, what can they do? How can they keep in contact with you all?

Sonal Patel: Absolutely. We have our own website, which is sbcss.net. If you go to the Technology Services and Digital Learning page, you’ll see a variety of different resources that might be useful to you. You can also contact us through some of our social media handles.

Seasons of CS has a website, seasonsofcs.org, where you can learn more about that particular grant. We’ve also got the Cal MSCS grant at calmscs.org, so you can learn more about that initiative and grant as well. Each one has its unique vision and goals, but we see the blending of both efforts to be really impactful for our state. We have a lot of people working on this across our state, and shout out to all of our County Office of Education CS Champions in different county offices across California.

Tonya Coats: My biggest way to find resources as a classroom teacher was building communities. I built communities with CSTA, finding educators who thought like me, who I could ask questions and converse with. Organizations like the Micro:bit Foundation have platforms where teachers exchange information, share ideas, and expand their knowledge of computer science and how to bring equitable computer science to the classroom. Just having that community to share resources.

As you mentioned, counselors, for example, are the gateway to opportunities and resources. My son’s counselor has gotten him into so many different programs I had no idea existed. Having those conversations with counselors and different people in your educational community can bring about change and resources.

Victoria Andrews: Exactly, and I’m a huge advocate, and we at Getting Smart are, of having that trusted adult in learning environments, whether it’s elementary school or high school. If young people have at least one trusted adult, and it may not always be the educator in their classroom, but if they have a close relationship with their coach or the front office secretary—who holds the keys to all the secrets of the school—and they know about a summer program or an afterschool program, that may be the linchpin that can change a young person’s life trajectory. Thank you guys so much for sharing those resources. If you’re a listener, you’re without excuse for how to connect and deepen your knowledge and understanding of computer science.

Sonal Patel: I am just so appreciative of the efforts of Dr. Karin Lewis in getting so many of the partners, the collective thought partners, the expertise from throughout the state, whether it be county office leaders, statewide leaders, or community partners, which is huge. She has been able to bring these people into different spaces to talk about topics not just pertaining to computer science, but computer science integration with mathematics and science. It has really helped us to think collectively through the lens of Seasons of CS and Cal MSCS on how we’re going to engage our educators in high-quality professional learning.

Victoria Andrews: Her and her team have been super instrumental in thinking about what adult learning looks like. They include campus tours and bring in outside partners and entities across the country, creating opportunities, whether virtual or in-person, for people to connect and hear about best practices happening on this side of the state and what best practices are happening on the other side. They make sure funds are actually given to those who need it. Her team has done extraordinary work in exemplifying what it means to build and sustain community.

I am thankful again to Dr. Patel and Tanya for your time with us. Thank you. Have a great day.

Dr. Sonal Patel

Dr. Sonal Patel is the Digital Learning Innovation Coordinator at San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. She supports educators, coaches, and administrators in active professional learning, grounded in solid pedagogy and centered around digital accessibility and inclusion. Sonal has been leading county and state-wide efforts in broadening K-12 access and participation in Computer Science. As a recently appointed member of SCALE-CA (Supporting Computing Access, Leadership, and Equity in California), Sonal aims to build leadership capacity in computer science. Sonal is also the co-founder of the Inland Empire Computer Science Equity Task Force, a collaboration of multiple education stakeholders who are committed to the vision of providing a rigorous and inclusive CS Education.

Tonya Coats

Tonya Coats is a CBS Mission Unstoppable as a leading female in STEM, ISTE presenter, micro:bit champion, a 2022 CSTA Honorable Mention, 2022-2023 CSTA Equity Fellow, and an IACUE Board Member, a regional affiliate of CUE. She has been a K-6th educator in Southern California for over 20 years. She has a strong passion for computer science and maker-based learning. Her students have participated in numerous educational conferences and student showcases to show educators and their peers what is possible with computer science. Tonya believes exposing her students to computer science at a young age will give them the exposure to build interest and learn how to apply these skills to solving real-world problems. She is a 2022 micro:bit champion, a 2022 CSTA Honorable Mention, and also recently elected to serve as an IACUE Board Member, a regional affiliate of CUE.

Victoria Andrews

Victoria is a Partner at Getting Smart, specializing in professional learning. She is passionate about serving as a connector and collaborator for underrepresented communities while supporting unique learning environments.

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