Districts Helping Districts: Expanding Upon Computational Thinking Pathways

This past April 2026, leaders from seven school districts from across the country gathered in Iowa City, marking the culmination of the National Science Foundation–funded Districts Helping Districts (DhD) project—a four-year Research-Practice Partnership (RPP) dedicated to scaling inclusive computational thinking pathways nationwide. What began as an ambitious collaboration to rethink how districts design computer science learning ultimately evolved into a national model for peer-driven educational innovation.

The DhD project is grounded in a simple but powerful premise: Districts themselves are the critical drivers of sustainable change in K–12 computing education. While all states have adopted computer science policies and standards, research consistently demonstrates that standards alone do not transform classroom practice or address persistent equity gaps in participation. The DhD partnership therefore focused on enabling districts to learn directly from one another—sharing strategies, challenges, and implementation decisions through structured communities of practice rather than relying solely on external mandates or packaged programs.

Since 2022, participating districts have collaborated with Digital Promise researchers and practitioners to design inclusive Computational Thinking (CT) Pathways that are cumulative, consistent, competency-based, and responsive to local contexts. Central to the project’s success were district-to-district communities of practice that enabled educators to exchange feedback, share resources, and collectively solve implementation challenges.

Pivoting from CS and CT to AI

While the DhD project began with a focus on computational thinking, the relatively recent and very rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) reshaped the educational landscape during the final years of the grant. Participating districts recognized AI as a natural evolution of computational thinking competencies—extending problem solving, data literacy, and ethical reasoning into a new technological era.

In addition to districts sharing their own refined K-12 computing pathways over the first part of the week, the Iowa City convening centered on the first-ever Iowa City AI Summit, hosted at the district’s Center for Innovation. The summit blended educator professional learning, student voice, and cross-district collaboration, reflecting the project’s philosophy that innovation must occur simultaneously at leadership, teaching, and student levels.

Not only were DhD’s seven districts represented and leading sessions, but educators from across the state came for the day to share their ongoing efforts and ask questions of each other around district policy, curricular integration, and best practices for educator professional development. Summit Lead and nationally recognized AI and computer science advocate, Mr. Andrew Fenstermaker remarked, “While AI handles the heavy lifting of computation, the human ability to think critically, ethically, and creatively remains our greatest asset. Our work connecting CT to AI is about keeping the ‘human-in-the-loop,’ ensuring our students remain the architects of their own learning in an automated age.”

The hallmark of the summit was the student-focused live Design Thinking Challenge in which students developed AI-powered solutions while engaging directly with educators for feedback. By the closing session, students presented their solutions, demonstrating how computational thinking skills cultivated through the project now enabled meaningful engagement with generative AI technologies.

AI Summit photos courtesy of Iowa City West High School student intern photographer, Leah Butcher

Next Steps

As the NSF Districts Helping Districts project concludes this fall, its most enduring outcome may be neither a specific curriculum nor a single program, but a replicable model for how educational systems innovate together. Sustainable change occurs when ownership shifts from external reform efforts to collaborative networks of practitioners who adapt shared ideas to local needs.

The Iowa City convening underscored several lessons with national significance: inclusive computing pathways require coherence across grade levels and district strategy; peer networks accelerate innovation; and emerging technologies such as generative AI demand educational systems capable of continuous adaptation.

Looking ahead, participating districts committed to sustaining the DhD network beyond the life of the grant through ongoing communities of practice, shared professional learning, and continued research collaboration. The April 2026 gathering marked both an ending and a beginning—launching a new phase of district-led innovation focused on AI literacy, collaboration, and equitable access to future-ready learning.

Want to learn how to get started on your district’s computing pathway?

• Watch our webinar on Developing District Wide Inclusive Computational Thinking Pathways.
• Explore Digital Promise’s CT Pathways Toolkit, designed for school and district leaders, with resources to help establish CT Pathways aligned with internal initiatives and district visions. By creating a space where district leaders can collaborate and receive targeted support, we can build a future where every student—whether in a rural, suburban, or urban district—has access to high-quality, equitable computational thinking education.
• See Digital Promise’s latest Pathway Launch—Data Science For All:K-12 Pathways for Future-Ready Skills.
• Contact us! We have already started to recruit for our next regional cohort and if you think this work may be a fit for your districts (and other districts in your region), let us know!

This work is supported by National Science Foundation Grants #2219350 & #2219351