The University of Montana in Missoula, in partnership with Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana Tech (MTech) in Butte, and the Salish Kootenai Tribal College (SKC), will undertake a planning effort for a larger statewide initiative to introduce CS high school courses that engage and retain a diverse population of students, promote and advocate for these courses, and prepare high school teachers to offer and sustain them. The expanded curriculum will include material from the Joy and Beauty of Computing course recently created and piloted by one of the collaborating institutions of this proposal (MSU), and the new AP principles course currently being developed by NSF and the College Board. Dual credit opportunities will be available for students. In addition, the curriculum will be supported with activities proven to improve diversity (mentoring, pair programming, role models). High school teachers will participate via team-teaching, curriculum development, and professional development (PD) workshops.

This planning grant would enable the PIs to build on their curriculum within the context of the CS10K Project with initial research and development around diversity (in particular, strategies for engaging and retaining Native American students), curriculum (positioning their course offerings in the context of the CS10K effort), and teacher professional development.