CME Group Foundation Supports Chicago-Area Computer Science Teachers with Scholarships to Virtual Conference

CME Group Foundation grantee Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) held their largest-ever conference to date in July. By shifting to a virtual format, they were able to provide access to more than 2,900 attendees. The Foundation provided scholarships for 49 Chicago-area teachers to attend the conference. A majority of these scholarship recipients were first-time attendees representing Title I schools, or schools in which children from low-income families make up at least 40% of enrollment.



“I desired to attend the CSTA conference so that I could gain more information on implementing computer science (CS) across content areas school-wide,” said conference attendee and Foundation scholarship recipient Bernadette Moore, a teacher at Duke Ellington Elementary School. “All students need opportunities to use technology in meaningful, authentic tasks that develop higher-order thinking skills. This conference allowed me to explore innovative ideas using computer-based instruction.”

Another attendee and scholarship recipient, Eugene Pope, a teacher at Hyde Park Academy said: “Roughly 60% of my students are female. And, from my observation, not many African-American females are pursuing careers in CS. Attending this conference allowed me to network with teachers from urban communities who have developed effective CS educational practices that positively impact African-American females and encourage them to pursue careers in CS.”

CSTA and local CSTA chapters build community amongst computer science teachers (who are often isolated in their schools), provide professional development to help teachers improve their craft, and connect local teacher voices to the national computer science education community.

To learn more and engage further with the computer science teacher community, please visit: https://csteachers.org/page/engage

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