CS4RI High School Grant
CS4RI High School Grants provide funding to 20 Rhode Island high schools to establish or enhance computer science pathways, study the impact of work-based learning on students’ AP computer science scores, and increase participation of historically under-represented groups of students in computer science. The program is funded through a $2.5M grant that RIDE was awarded from the US Department of the Education in fall of 2019.
Learn more about the High School Grant Pathway, Industry Mentor Program, and Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC Toolkit).
Making Computer Science Mentorship Work - By Anne Wang, EDC
the Research Behind the Grant (View pdf)
A formal evaluation is a central component of the federal grant funding this initiative. CS4RI is partnering with Education Development Center to continuously improve the pathway and study its implementation and impact on several student outcomes, including student interest and engagement in computer science and student achievement in computer science. The evaluation will conclude in 2025. Preliminary results presented at the 2023 Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education are included below.
CS4RI High School Grant & Work-Based Learning Overview
Goal: To expand computer science pathways in Rhode Island and study the impact of work-based learning (WBL) on student achievement and attitudes.
Grant Details
20 Schools Implement a Computer Science 3-Course Sequence
of the Schools Introduce an Innovative New Computer Science Work-Based Learning Course in 10th Grade in which which includes 80 Hours of Work-Based Learning and a Structured Industry Mentorship
All Participating Teachers receive free professional development for all courses
Students have the opportunity to earn 12 college credits at no cost
Each of the 20 schools receive funding to establish 21st Century Computer Labs
Work-Based Learning Project
Students in 10 high schools participate in a semester-long WBL course that focuses on the software development process
Course focuses on ideation, design, implementation, and testing
Industry mentors work with a small group of students to help them develop a final software product
