CS Champions
Small, rural school districts in Northern California face significant systemic barriers to providing K-12 computer science (CS) education, creating a significant opportunity gap for students. To address this, the CS4NorCal project aimed to build regional capacity for creating and sustaining equitable CS pathways across six remote counties. The project utilized an intermediary strategy, initially deploying localized CS Champions from California County Offices of Education (COEs) to foster strategic planning and local buy-in. As the project scaled, it introduced a centralized CS Ambassador to provide high-intensity, in-person mobilization, recruitment, and data collection support across the vast region. This article analyzes the design, implementation, and outcomes of this hybrid approach.