Computer Science Education in Middle School and High School

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The first full week of December is ACM's CSEdWeek - and our chapter always has a special education-related program to celebrate.  This month’s meeting will discuss computer science curriculum for middle school and high school students.

Kathy Effner will talk about her experiences building a high school Computer Science curriculum.  She started seven years ago, when her school had only one AP CSA class of 14 students.  Today, her school is running seven classes, including robotics, two AP classes, and 2 of the 3 courses needed for CCNA certification (CISCO Certified Network Administrator).  She is also the advisor for two FTC robotics teams that have been running for six years.  The goal of her program is to offer as many quality CS courses as possible, because she believes that their students need the experience no matter what career path they choose.  She is also working to build and implement courses that can be taught by teachers who have little or no experience with the concepts.

Judd Pittman will talk about Pennsylvania’s PAsmart Initiative, an innovative education and workforce strategy for STEM and Computer Science.  The conversation will focus on policy and program efforts, including a new certification program in Computer Science for teachers in grades 7-12.  Judd is the Special Consultant to the Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education on STEM, where he has helped to build internal and external coalitions like the CSinPA Initiative and the STEM Ecosystems Initiative that support innovative STEM and Computer Science programs and policy.


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  • Date: 09 Dec 2021
  • Time: 08:00 PM to 09:30 PM
  • All times are (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
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  Speakers

Kathy Effner

Kathy Effner teaches Math and Computer Science at Parsippany High School. Kathy has a BS in Computer Science from Montclair State University, an MBA in Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and teaching certification from Ramapo College.  Kathy has worked for AT&T, HP, Consillium, and NCR, where she worked in technical support, technical sales and project management.  She has been a high school teacher in New Jersey for 17 years.

Judd Pittman

Judd R. Pittman is a passionate champion for educational equity who supports the design and development of inclusive policies and programs for all learners.  Judd earned a Bachelor of Science from Juniata College, a Masters in Forest Ecology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and a Masters in Multi-Cultural Education from Eastern University.  In his prior work, Judd designed and delivered professional learning for the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN). He was also a middle school science teacher for nearly a decade in the Harrisburg City School District.