Chapter 10: Supporting Ongoing Teacher Capacity and Development: Moving Beyond Orientation Professional Development to Support Advanced Teacher Learning

Over the last 10 years, a significant number of teachers have participated in professional development (PD) in preparation for teaching computer science (CS) at the K–12 level. Most of these PD opportunities are hosted by trained facilitators who serve a geographic region and are focused specifically on a particular course, tool, or curriculum implementation. Although independent PD is common in the K–12 school system in the United States, a majority of the PD teachers’ experience in their careers is directly supported by the local education agencies, schools, or districts where they work. This ongoing development is meant to build off of the preparation teachers received prior to entering the classroom by providing targeted development necessary to help teachers gain a spectrum of knowledge and skills, refine their practice, and move from novice to experienced teachers. In this chapter, we will highlight the ongoing work of school systems in supporting teachers in the development of their CS pedagogical content knowledge. The chapter will use a literature review from multiple disciplines to motivate a conceptual framework for ongoing teacher development, as data show that districts had not previously supported ongoing CS teacher development. Further, data from over 150 school districts serving over 2 million students from 20 states demonstrate (a) the current state of ongoing support for teacher development and (b) strategic goals set by districts to create supportive PD pathways for teachers of CS. Additionally, goals set by districts provide examples of using best practices for supporting teacher development in a CS education context.