‘My vision is for CS to become a foundational literacy’: New NC CSTA President, Friday Institute CS Education Scholar Russell Dirgo Shares His Vision, Hopes for CS Education in North Carolina

Russell Dirgo, a computer science education scholar at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, has been a dedicated advocate for computer science (CS) education in North Carolina’s K-12 schools throughout his career as a K-12 teacher and academic researcher, collaborating with national and state-level organizations to build community and competency in CS education. Given his extensive experience, Dirgo was recently appointed as the new president for the North Carolina chapter of the Computer Science Teacher Association (NC CSTA).

Dirgo was a key contributor to the state of North Carolina’s K-12 CS standards, serving on the steering committee to ensure that equal access remained at the core of standards while establishing a strong foundation for all students across North Carolina. He will continue to promote CS education in his role as president of NC CSTA and through his academic research at the Friday Institute, including his work on a Computer Science for All Students in North Carolina (CS4NC) grant-funded project. 

NC CSTA

The mission of CSTA is to prepare every student for a world built on computing. To fulfill this mission, the organization focuses on fostering collaborative communities that promote proficiency and competence among K-12 CS teachers, who in turn prepare students for the future. Dirgo’s leadership at NC CSTA comes at a critical time, as North Carolina implements a new law requiring all middle and high schools to offer introductory CS courses. Beginning in Fall 2026, all high school students will be required to complete at least one computer science course to graduate. Much of this policy shift is due to advocacy from organizations such as NC CSTA, and under Dirgo’s leadership, the organization is committed to ensuring that this mandate goes beyond compliance and genuinely sparks student interest in computer science.  

“We want to make sure that the mandate is not just a checkbox,” said Dirgo. “We want to ensure it actively engages students and fosters a real interest in computer science.” 

CS4NC

CS4NC, North Carolina’s chapter of the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance, was founded in 2016 to expand equal access to computing education across K-12 and higher education. Led by the Friday Institute, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, UNC Charlotte, the NC State College of Education, the Department of Computer Science at NC State and NC CSTA, the initiative has grown to include community colleges, local school districts and industry partners. Together, they work to raise awareness, coordinate initiatives and strengthen networks of educators and computing professionals to advance CS education statewide. CS4NC also focuses on securing business community support for CS education in middle and high schools. 

Dirgo’s work on the CS4NC-funded project is focused on two key initiatives—one is to assess the law’s impact and another is to strengthen teacher preparation and professional development. These initiatives aim to answer three critical questions:

• How do we begin to look at the quality of education that students are getting?
• Are the teachers trained to a level in which they can offer high quality education to the students? 
• Are students taking a computer science course and then continuing on to another computer science course?” 

By addressing these questions, Dirgo, along with colleagues Jaclyn Stevens, Krista Holland and Carrie Robledo, is working to ensure that CS education in North Carolina is meaningful, effective and sustainable.

“Computer science education isn’t just about training future tech professionals; it equips students with critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for success in any field,” said Dirgo. “My vision is for CS to become a foundational literacy, enriching learning across all subjects and empowering every student to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”