Cracking the Code: Computer Science Gets a Boost

The Champlain Valley School District congratulates both Tim O’Leary (SCS) and Charlie MacFadyen (CVU) on being named fellows by the Rowland Foundation. Tim and Charlie are both Digital Learning Leaders in their schools.

Tim O'Leary and Charlie MacFadyen

The 2020-2021 Rowland Foundation fellowships provide Vermont secondary school educators with a unique professional development and leadership opportunity and resources (through a one-year, $100,000 grant) to positively affect student achievement and the culture and climate of their respective schools. The Foundation supports proposals which:

• will lead to systemic change in the school, particularly in its culture and climate
• are visionary and comprehensive (what percentage of the population will they serve)
• are sustainable after The Rowland Foundation completes its funding
• are exportable to other schools. The Rowland Foundation is keenly interested in affecting change throughout Vermont.
• have the complete support of the principal or head of school. This will be a key element of the interview process by the Executive Director prior to the selections.

Tim and Charlie, on behalf of SCS and CVU, have been awarded this Rowland Fellowship as co-applicants who, together, represent a PreK-12 continuum of instruction in the largest district in Vermont. The project aims to address the inequities and marginalization of females, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming youth that occur within Computer Science (CS) education and the workforce. It envisions a world where all can become creators, change-makers, and leaders. Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace prize winner and educational activist, is quoted in their proposal saying, “every girl deserves to take part in creating the technology that will change our world, and change who runs it.”

From their proposal, titled, “Cracking the Code: Closing the Gender Gap in Computer Science,” Tim and Charlie state:

"Over the coming year, the project will support the development of a K-12 computer science program because we believe schools must assume a critical role to create computer science learning opportunities. Otherwise, students will continue to develop identities informed by a world where males far outpace female participation in this area. Nationally, only 28% of the students who have taken an AP Computer Science exam over the last three years identified as female. And, the disparity is 8.5 % greater in Vermont. We bear a responsibility to dismantle this inequality by creating new systems, and we plan to develop a program to do just that."

SCS and CVU are uniquely positioned to engage in this work and embrace an awesome responsibility to share innovative teaching and learning practices as it develops. The school district looks forward to supporting the partnerships and collaboration that Tim and Charlie will lead over the coming year to create a more equitable future for our students.

Tim and Charlie’s proposal to research and implement a framework for the Shelburne Community School will be closely observed so that we can explore this as a model for all of our district PreK-8 schools. Our school district values innovation, design-thinking, and the personalized pursuit of excellence. We are committed to determining ways in which computer science education is provided to all students, PreK-12. The proposal to Crack the Code for SCS and CVU ensures that we’re on the path to success, for all of CVSD.