Debugging inequities: Data use, “gumshoe work,” and problem identification in district-wide computer science education initiatives

Abstract

As districts across the United States move to implement comprehensive computer science education (CSed) initiatives, there is increasing interest in utilizing data-informed strategies such as continuous improvement to address systemic inequities. However, the specifics of how education institutions move from collecting and monitoring data into processes of systems improvement are not straightforward. This study explores the critical intermediary step of diagnostic problem framing which connects the collection of data to the identification of root causes of inequities so that adequate action can be taken to change an instructional system. Without taking the step of diagnostic problem framing, district leaders run the risk of using data to change systems in ways that simply reproduce or worsen existing inequities. Through four cases from three school districts implementing comprehensive (e.g. K12, at scale) CSed initiatives, we explore the dynamics of diagnostic problem framing around each of the four phenomena related to equitable CSed as specified in the CAPE framework: system and teacher capacity around CSed, student access to CS learning, participation rates in those opportunities by subgroups, and the quality of the experience of those participating. Our findings highlight five factors mediating diagnostic problem framing: conceptualization of equity as a multifaceted phenomenon, problem attribution to systems, not students, ability to analyze data for indicators of inequities, knowledge of local instructional systems, and embeddedness in instructional networks. Our results affirm the importance of developing robust data systems in CSed initiatives, but also show how attention to broader institutional factors can improve the capacity of these systems to address inequities.