Congratulations to Joshua Culwell-Block who on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, successfully defended his dissertation proposal.
The title of Josh’s dissertation is, "POLICY IMPLEMENTATION STUDY OF THE OF NEW YORK STATE COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DIGITAL FLUENCY STANDARDS."
Overview of Problem: States have adopted computer science standards to address growing demands for computational thinking, cybersecurity, and digital literacy. School districts across the country have begun implementing Computer Science and Digital Fluency (CS/DF) curricula. In New York, the state adoption of the CS/DF Standards requires K–12 implementation; however, there are no corresponding accountability measures or standardized assessments. As a result, the extent of implementation in practice remains unclear.
Research Purpose: Guided by Implementation Science Theory and a Standards Implementation Framework, this study examines the extent to which the NYS CS/DF Standards are adopted, implemented, and adhered to in grades 4–6. It also investigates changes in instructional coverage and the degree of curriculum alignment across district contexts.
Research Design: This study uses a quantitative, non-experimental ex post facto design to examine variation in implementation across school districts.
Data Collection and Analysis: Data will be collected through a structured survey and curriculum maps. Instructional exposure will be measures pre- and post-implementation. Curriculum documents will be analyzed using a structured alignment rubric. Analyses include descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests, and ANOVA to examine differences across NYSED Need/Resource school district categories.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Nora C.R. Broege
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Dr. Gerald Ardito
Dr. Jennifer Wilson
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