This report offers a framework for reviewing CoolThink@JC’s accomplishments to date and computational thinking education (CTE) initiatives in other jurisdictions.
STEM and computer science education publications
Automated Student Group Collaboration Assessment and Recommendation System Using Individual Role and Behavioral Cue
Early development of specific skills can help students succeed in fields like Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Different education standards consider “Collaboration” as a required and necessary skill that can help students excel in these fields.
Los Angeles City College’s STEM Pathways Program: Participation and Impact
This report presents findings from three quasi-experimental studies estimating the impact of program participation overall, as well as STEM Learning Center participation and SI participation, specifically on STEM course success and continuation in STEM.
Evaluation of Los Angeles City College’s STEM Pathways Program: Impacts of STEM Pathways Program Participation on Student Outcomes
This report presents findings from a quasi-experimental study estimating the impact of STEM Pathways program participation on STEM course success and continuation in STEM, as well as degree attainment.
Evaluation of Los Angeles City College’s STEM Pathways Program: Impacts of the Supplemental Instruction Program on Student Outcomes
This report presents findings from a quasi-experimental study estimating the impact of SI participation on STEM course success and continuation in STEM.
Evaluation of Los Angeles City College’s STEM Pathways Program: Impacts of the STEM Learning Center on Student Outcomes
This report presents findings from a quasi-experimental study to estimate the impact of the STEM Learning Center on STEM course success and continuation in STEM.
ST Math: Nonregulatory ESSA Standards Evidence Review & What Works Clearinghouse Standards Review
The study authors conducted multiple analyses to investigate the extent to which use of Spatial-Temporal (ST) Math in grades 3–5 was associated with increased school mathematics achievement.
Early science and engineering: The impact of The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! on Learning
Over 450 children living in low-income households across the U.S. participated in this study, which explores whether providing families with access to PBS KIDS The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! ™ videos, digital games, and hands-on activities can help 4- and 5-year old children learn physical science and engineering concepts and practices.
Evaluating Digital Learning for Adult Basic Literacy and Numeracy
More than 36 million adults in the United States do not have the basic literacy and math skills needed for many entry-level jobs and even less so for the types of jobs expected to dominate in the future. And current federal- and state-funded adult basic education (ABE) programs, the main providers of skill development and training programs for this population, do not have the resources, facilities, or trained staff to serve all those adults in need of further education to improve their basic skills and job prospects. In 2014, The Joyce Foundation asked SRI Education’s Center for Technology in Learning to investigate the role and efficacy of five different digital learning products in (1) improving the basic reading, writing, and math outcomes for low-skilled adults in ABE programs and (2) helping programs increase their capacity to serve a greater number of students. Through this research, we set out to understand how ABE programs might use these technologies to improve the instruction they offer, whether such technologies are effective with low-skilled adults (performing at fourth- to ninth-grade levels in reading and/or math) and which practices and product features might be associated with better outcomes for students and programs. In this report, we present the findings from this three-year study.