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Home REL Midwest About REL Midwest ENgagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking

ENgagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking

Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest is partnering with school districts in Wisconsin to increase grade 6 students’ confidence, engagement, and achievement in math, especially among groups that are traditionally underserved in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career fields. To achieve this goal, the ENgagement and Achievement Through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership will develop, test, and refine an intervention to support Wisconsin grade 6 teachers in integrating computational thinking and student-focused practices into their district’s grade 6 mathematics curriculum.

Partner organization: Milwaukee Public Schools

Current Projects

REL Midwest will provide grade 6 mathematics teachers with support and coaching to integrate computational thinking and student-focused practices into their mathematics teaching. Teachers will participate in a 3-day summer institute followed by a series of coaching sessions throughout the school year. Resources provided to teachers will include 15 videos modeling integration of computational thinking and student-focused practices into mathematics lessons, viewing guides to support teachers in interpreting the videos, lesson planning templates, and student exit tickets.
REL Midwest will develop a measure of teachers’ student-focused pedagogical content knowledge for computational thinking in middle school mathematics. Partnering districts will administer the measure to 200–300 teachers. REL Midwest will conduct analyses to determine the measure’s reliability and validity.
REL Midwest will test the usability and feasibility of the ENACT professional development provided by its coaching team on integrating computational thinking into grade 6 mathematics instruction. The team will conduct teacher surveys and interviews to learn which components of the professional development work best for teachers. REL Midwest also will examine student surveys, mathematics grades, and test scores to measure the relationship between ENACT, student perceptions, and achievement outcomes.

REL Midwest is conducting an efficacy study of ENACT’s training and instructional coaching. This teacher-level randomized controlled trial study will provide rigorous evidence of ENACT’s impact on teachers’ knowledge of how to integrate computational thinking practices in their math classrooms, students’ math achievement, and students’ self-efficacy and engagement in math. In addition, this study will investigate the factors that facilitate or hinder implementation of ENACT.

No completed projects at this time.

Event Type: In-person Event | Event Date: September 26, 2024
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. CT Location: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Meeting & Exposition 2024, Chicago, IL Description: The Engagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership is supporting...
Event Type: Training Material | Event Date: August 22, 2024
Time: 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. CT Location: Marquette University Description: REL Midwest led this training on applying computational thinking and student-focused practices in 6th grade mathematics instruction for Milwaukee Public School's 6th grade math educators...
Product Type: Resource | Publication Date: May 2024
The Engagement and Achievement Through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership is working with teachers and schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to increase grade 6 students’ confidence, engagement, and achievement in mathematics, especially...
Event Type: In-person Event | Event Date: December 07, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET Location: National Academy of Sciences, PreK-12 STEM Education Innovations, Committee Meeting 2, Washington, DC Description: REL Midwest will present on its STEM-focused partnerships in Illinois and Wisconsin to the National Academies...
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: September 22, 2023
At a recent REL Midwest ENACT Summer Institute, a group of sixth-grade math teachers from Milwaukee Public Schools shared the advice they would give their middle school teachers. The exercise was part of a training focused on using computational thinking...
Event Type: Training Material | Event Date: July 26, 2023 - July 28, 2023
Time: 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. CT Location: Milwaukee, WI Description: During the first day of the ENact Summer Institute, teachers received training to increase their knowledge of computational thinking (CT) and student-focused practices and how these practices...
Product Type: Video | Publication Date: July 2023
Middle school is a critical time to capture students’ interest in math. This video from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest’s ENgagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership details evidence-based computational...
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: March 28, 2023
Computational thinking skills and student-focused instructional practices are two powerful strategies for supporting middle school students’ engagement and confidence in math. This blog post and a related infographic describe how REL Midwest’s ENgagement...
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: February 08, 2023
With the start of 2023, we begin the second year of REL Midwest’s current five-year cycle of work.
Product Type: Infographic | Publication Date: February 2023
Middle school is a critical time to capture students’ interest in math. This infographic from the ENgagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership details how middle school math teachers can boost students’ engagement and...
Product Type: Resource | Publication Date: January 2023
The Engagement and Achievement Through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership is working with school districts in Wisconsin to increase grade 6 students’ confidence, engagement, and achievement in mathematics, especially among groups traditionally...
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: September 06, 2022
In late July, a small group of grade 6 math teachers and math coaches from Milwaukee Public Schools came together with REL Midwest to implement the first phase of activities under the ENgagement and Achievement through Computational Thinking (ENACT) partnership...
Product Type: Resource | Publication Date: June 2022
REL Midwest works with educators in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin to support the use of evidence and data to improve student outcomes. In particular, REL Midwest seeks to address priorities related to the needs and...
Product Type: Blog | Publication Date: May 05, 2022
In Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), which educates the largest number of Black students in Wisconsin, district leaders are working to build teachers’ capacity...

REL Midwest Logic Model (File pending)

REL Midwest Logic Model