Georgia Tech’s Constellations Center for Equity in Computing (Constellations) recently welcomed the programs first-ever fellows, PK Graff and Terry Foster.

Launched in late 2017, Constellations has worked to begin accomplishing its goal of democratizing computer science education. The onboarding of Graff and Foster are huge wins in accomplishing this goal.

“So far, we have been laying a lot of groundwork, building relationships and getting our name out there. Now it’s time to get into the classroom and help make this a reality. The fellows are crucial to the success of this initiative,” said Kamau Bobb, Constellations senior director.

Besides democratizing computer science education, Constellations’ mission is to ensure that all students – especially students of color, women and others underserved in K-12 and post-secondary institutions – have access to quality computer science education. CS education is foundational to the Georgia Institute of Technology’s academic and research goals in order to provide students with the skills to succeed in the 21st-century workforce.  

To kick off bringing this mission to life, the fellows will be working with six Atlanta Public Schools (APS).

Bobb added, “We’re excited that we have the opportunity to start in schools in Georgia Tech’s backyard through the Atlanta Public School System.”

Both Graff and Foster are highly experienced computer science educators and will draw from previous experience, as well as conduct new research, as they begin laying the groundwork for designing a hybrid instruction model.

Throughout their fellowship, Graff and Foster will work on fostering Georgia Tech’s relationship with each of the APS schools and equip them with the knowledge and the tools to better educate their students interested in computing. The end result will be a hybrid model of instructional teaching and online learning for a sequence of computing courses leading to post-secondary computer science and STEM studies. These courses include AP Computer Science Principles, Georgia Tech's Introduction to Computing Using Python, and AP Computer Science A.

Foster said, “I’m looking forward to making a social impact by bridging the educational gap, (CS specifically), in disenfranchised communities.”