Addressing Professional Development Needs for K-12 CS: Working with Your Local CSTA Chapter (Abstract Only).

One of the greatest challenges for K-12 computer science educators is finding the opportunities and resources to stay up-to-date with the field and its pedagogical practices. Teachers often lack CS colleagues at their school, which makes the lack of professional development opportunities even more significant. As part of its commitment to developing a strong community of computer science educators, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) supports the development of regional CSTA chapters. A CSTA chapter is a local branch of CSTA designed to facilitate discussion of local issues and to help connect teachers with professional development resources. This BOF will discuss existing professional development resources available to K-12 teachers, as well as providing a community building forum between high school teachers and college faculty. Attendees will be asked to share their professional development needs and desires, which will then guide the CSTA Professional Development committee in future efforts.