Cal State LA secures Google grant to expand K-12 computer science education for local teachers
The Californer/10323850

LOS ANGELES - Californer -- Cal State LA has received a $150,000 grant from Google to support its Computer Science Supplementary Authorization (CSSA) program, advancing the university's efforts to prepare K–12 educators to teach computer science in underserved communities.

The "Empowering Future CS Educators" grant will fund expanded mentorship, professional development, and hands-on instructional opportunities for both in-service and pre-service teachers across Los Angeles. The funding enables teachers to access continuous training throughout the academic year, participate in summer programs, and engage in community outreach through computer science learning initiatives.

The grant-supported initiative is led by Principal Investigator Elaine Kang, chair of Cal State LA's Department of Computer Science, along with Co-Principal Investigators and Professors David Krum and Manveen Kaur. Marcela Rodriguez, California lead for Google.org Education Engagement, serves as the university's liaison for the collaboration.

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As part of the grant, Cal State LA organized a "P3: Python Programming Pals" summer camp in July, where four Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) teachers teamed up with computer science faculty and graduate students to lead workshops on programming, robotics, and virtual reality for local youth. The participating teachers—trained through the CSSA program—were Andrew Johnson, Asher Nevell, Veronica Herrera, and Zonia Hill-Richardson.

In addition to the grant, Google sponsored Winter of CS: STEAM Symposium Scholarships, which supported 15 teachers—eight in-service and seven pre-service—by covering stipends, registration fees, hotel accommodations, and travel expenses. These scholarships enabled educators to participate in high-impact professional development without financial barriers.

The CSSA program (https://news.calstatela.edu/2024/06/24/cal-state-la-launches-computer-science-supplementary-authorization-program-in-collaboration-with-lausd-and-musd/), launched in early 2024 in collaboration with LAUSD, was developed in response to California's growing demand for credentialed computer science teachers. Under the state's credentialing guidelines, K–12 educators can earn a Computer Science Supplementary Authorization to teach foundational computer science courses, but access to high-quality, affordable training has been limited—particularly in high-need districts. To date, two cohorts of LAUSD teachers have completed training, and a third cohort of 24 educators began coursework this summer.

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"The Google partnership amplifies what we're building through the CSSA program," said Kang. "Together, we are helping teachers bring computer science into classrooms that have traditionally lacked access to these learning opportunities. We're not only training educators—we're empowering them to be leaders in this critical field."