Over a decade ago, “Running on Empty: The Failure to Teach K-12 Computer Science in the Digital Age” (Wilson et al., 2010) compelled stakeholders in the United States to recognize the critical need for K-12 computer science (CS) education. The report called attention to the absence of K-12 CS courses due to the low number and inadequate preparation of K-12 CS teachers. CS teacher education remains as a roadblock to equitable access and achievement in CS education nationally.

In response, state legislatures have taken to incorporate CS education into their curriculums, either by adopting existing policies or creating new ones (Code.org, CSTA, & ECEP, 2022). Although these efforts have led to an increase in the number of CS classes in K-12 education, achieving the integration of CS into these schools necessitates ongoing systemic transformation (Barr & Stephenson, 2011; Dettori et al., 2018; Johnson et al., 2020). This comprehensive educational reform requires adequately preparing CS teachers and fostering supportive school environments (Reimer, 2019). Many schools continue to face challenges in offering CS courses due to a shortage of CS-trained teachers. Consequently, they either hire teachers with limited CS content knowledge and teaching experience, or they are unable to offer CS courses at all (Bruno & Lewis, 2022). These outcomes perpetuate inequities in who has access to high-quality CS education and student achievement. Therefore, it is imperative that the CS education community understand the myriad ways in which CS teacher education is enacted and begin developing best practices for the field.