In this episode of VOICES for Social Justice, Lien has a heartfelt discussion with Michelle Lee (Computer Science Content Specialist in a public Bay Area district) and Lily Ho (Computer Science Lead Educator at NYC Department of Education) about their experiences as AAPI women in the United States. The trio discuss the historical context that has led us to where we are today, explore the Model Minority Myth and its impact on the education system — specifically on young AAPI girls in STEM, and make the case for decolonizing our curriculum. Host: Lien Diaz, director of educational innovation an ..read more

This month we’re talking about money. That’s right, funding plays a huge role in achieving equity in education and we are exploring the many facets of the world of philanthropic educational funding. We dig deep into the grant-making process, including what makes a grant proposal stand out, tips for finding funding resources, and more with our friend, Josh Elder, director of grants management at the Siegel Family Endowment. Josh also shares his experiences of growing up in rural Virginia and how a teacher’s encouragement led Josh to teach halfway around the world before eventually pivoting to ..read more

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Executive Director Jake Baskin joins the podcast to discuss the isolation that teachers, especially computer science teachers, often experience, the CSTA Equity Fellows program, and what he hopes the education system will take away our time teaching in a pandemic. Jake also applauds the CS Ed community on how much policy work has been done, shares his best professional development experience, and drops a hint on where a future CSTA Annual Conference could be held. Plus, he wins the award for being our first guest to render Lien speechless! Host ..read more

It’s Black History Month and we couldn’t think of anyone better to celebrate with than Nicki Washington. Washington was the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in computer science from North Carolina State University and was the first Black female faculty member of Howard University’s computer science department. In 2019, she was inducted into the Computer Science Hall of Fame. She is currently a professor of practice at Duke University. In this episode of VOICES, Washington explains the importance of lifting others while you climb, the significance of Kamala Harris being elected as ..read more

Ruthe Farmer, a leader in expanding access to computer science education joins the podcast to talk about her new initiative, The Last Mile Education Fund. The Last Mile is a disruptive approach to increasing diversity in engineering and tech and offers financial support for underrepresented students who are close to graduating. Farmer shares heartfelt stories that inspired the creation of the non-profit that will break your heart. Farmer also gives us the inside scoop on the PROMOTES Act of 2020, a bill that she helped write, and tips on how to present your policy ideas so they can be put int ..read more

It’s Computer Science Education Week! To celebrate, we are joined by Jannie Fernandez from the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) and TECHNOLOchicas to talk about the impact of CS Ed Week over the years, how we can better support women –specifically Latina women – in technology, and what it means to have the first female vice president in United States history. Host: Lien Diaz Guest: Jannie Fernandez, Director K-12 Alliance and TECHNOLOchicas Related Links: VOICES: http://constellations.gatech.edu/voices-social-justice-alliance NCWIT: https://www.ncwit.org/ TECHNOLO ..read more

Do racism and classism still exist in U.S. classrooms? How has Covid-19 exposed the depths of inequities in our education system? How can professional development be better designed to help teachers succeed? We’re joined by leading education experts, Gail Chapman and Dale Reed to discuss the current state of American education and what future improvements need to be made. Host: Lien Diaz Guests: Gail Chapman (Director of Outreach at Exploring Computer Science) and Dale Reed (Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago and Director of Curriculum at Break Through Tech Chicago) LINKS: www ..read more

Today we’re joined by two experts to discuss how bias and fairness in algorithms slowly impact human behavior over time. From how our social media feeds can become dangerous echo-chambers to what ads we see as we scroll through Instagram, we address how this can affect our buying habits, mental health, political views, and more. Our experts also give advice on how to protect you and your family’s data. Host: Lien Diaz Guests: Swati Gupta (Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech’s H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial Systems and Engineering) and Wenke Lee (Director of the Institute for Informati ..read more

2020 has officially gone topsy-turvy. Between a pandemic and a contentious election year, issues like racial and gender equality, healthcare, the economy, and education are more at stake than ever. One silver lining is that teacher’s superpowers and large cracks in our education system have been unveiled for all to see. In episode four of VOICES, we spoke with Charity Freeman and LaShawne Long-Myles, teachers in Chicago Public Schools and Atlanta Public Schools about teaching in a time of crisis. They dig into how their districts have been handling Covid-19 and its effects on their classrooms ..read more

In episode three of VOICES, Lien Diaz talks with Jean Ryoo, Joanna Goode, and Jane Margolis on what access really means, the impact of Covid-19 on the education system, and a decade after its publishing, reflects on Margolis and Goode’s groundbreaking book, Stuck in the Shallow End. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/w09Dm8qz2so ..read more