Crack The Code

Who (first and last name) is the Team Lead for your application and LEAP Project?

Natalia Pacora

Describe the role the Team Lead plays in your organization. [100-200 words recommended]

The leader is responsible for the team of project managers who implement our educational programs in collaboration with our partners. She leads the implementation of our programs, ensuring:

1. Work plan with clear milestones and owners.
2. Alignment sessions during implementation.
3. Measurement tests at the beginning, middle, and end to identify satisfaction and impact.
4. Planning alongside the academic team for iterations given the specific characteristics of the population or unforeseen situations (e.g., security issues, natural disasters, emergencies).
5. Creation of deliverables and results to showcase the progress of the programs.
6. Close management with other teams such as admin, technology, product, and human resources to ensure correct implementation.

She has extensive experience in projects such as:

UNICEF: Over 500 students enrolled in an intensive after-school front-end  program. Focused on promoting the inclusion of women in the technology field.
Mercado Libre: Over 700 students in Introduction to STEM to No Code and Python. The program includes students from over 5 different countries, fostering cultural exchange.
Banting and Brighton School: Approximately 100 elementary and secondary school student. The program is taught within school hours alongside the institution's technology teacher. This program aims to close STEM knowledge gaps within a population facing significant challenges.

Explain how your Team Lead and supporting team members are well-positioned to effectively support the LEAP Project, given other priorities within your organization. [300-500 words - recommended]

The team leader, along with Crack The Code's operational team, possesses multidisciplinary training and professionalization that favors and enables the effective fulfillment of the LEAP Project, ensuring compliance with the objectives and expected results in the execution of the proposed program.

Both the leader and the project team have developed experience in the educational sector, focused on technology, which allows them to tackle the various challenges and implement innovative and creative strategies that encourage engagement with beneficiary populations and, at the same time, provide a response to and fulfillment of organizational and program objectives. They maintain a close and collaborative relationship with each of the strategic allies, benefiting the operation.

There is extensive knowledge of the educational, commercial, and operational needs stemming from the inequalities in the development of existing digital skills in children and youth, which put them at a disadvantage and increase their vulnerability.

The LEAP Project is an opportunity for the organization to incentivize work with a research focus, to showcase the work and positive impact of the programs created by CTC, benefiting the childhood and youth of LATAM, effectively positioning itself in the labor market of the TECH sector and thus providing greater opportunities to ensure their comprehensive development.

The interventions carried out by Crack The Code, and the values that both the leader and the support team adhere to, promote not only training in programming and digital skills but also prioritize the development of creative thinking, socio-emotional, and socio-occupational skills in a cross-cutting manner, with a gender and inclusion perspective that impact the reduction of the gaps surrounding the TECH sector.

Additionally, there is an organizational structure that supports and provides administrative, communication, and technological support to address any needs that may arise, ensuring that the attention to beneficiary individuals and the fulfillment of objectives are of quality.

At CTC, we have a clear roadmap for the implementation of our programs including:
1. Work plan creation and alignment
2. Clear request lists for partner
3. Leverage of key meeting such as kick off, weekly / biweekly committee, closing
4. Templates for specific data requests or information
5. Clear meeting agendas and objectives

One-line solution summary: In 20 words or less, summarize your organization's product or program that is the focus of your LEAP Project.

Program that promotes the acquisition of programming knowledge in girls, developing digital skills and computational thinking through play.

Define the problem that your solution seeks to solve. [300-500 words recommended]

The use of information technologies and digital tools is a necessity that promotes the fulfillment of the human right to education, as it enables social development and helps to address issues such as the gaps resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is a significant digital divide among children and youth, with approximately 1.3 billion school-age children lacking access to the internet at home, mainly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (UNICEF, 2020). Additionally, one-third of the world's students, equivalent to 250 million children and young people, did not have access to formal education for more than a year during the Covid-19 pandemic (UNESCO, 2024).

In Latin America, educational inequalities stem from limited access to ICTs and school curricula. Between 20% and 30% of schools do not prioritize digital skills training. 

In Mexico, 4 out of 10 households lack internet access. Social groups with educational vulnerability in this country include indigenous, migrant, disabled, and female populations (UNICEF, 2023). Mexican girls and women experience educational exclusion in digital skills training comparable to not being able to read and write 30 years ago. 63% of women who do not use the internet reported lacking the knowledge to do so (UNESCO, 2023), increasing their vulnerability and economic, labor, and social inequality compared to men.

Describe your solution and how it works in simple terms. [300-500 words recommended]

This program is carried out through a tripartite alliance between Fondo Unido-United Way Chihuahua, the Instituto Promotor de la Educación, and Crack The Code, reaching 491 girls aged 7 to 12, from six public schools in grades second through fifth of Primary School, from the state of Chihuahua residing in Ciudad Juárez. At Crack The Code, we employ the 'Thinking Based Learning' methodology, which is based on the philosophy of promoting critical and creative thinking through problem-solving and analysis. 

The program consists of 40 hours of virtual training, divided into 20 sessions of two hours each, delivered over 4 months in two school cycles. The sessions will be conducted during school hours and at school premises to ensure access to computers, stable connectivity, and attendance. Four learning paths have been established to meet the educational and developmental needs of the participants:

Route 1: Minicreator + digital animation (7-8 years old).
Route 2: Story Maker + Digital Art (8-9 years old).
Route 3: Programming with Scratch (10 years old).
Route 4: Platform-type Video Games (11-12 years old).

The courses will start with the basics of programming using blocks, applying logic algorithmically. Concepts such as sequences, conditionals, repetition structures will be reviewed and complemented with other concepts. They will have a virtual teacher to guide the girls' learning to consolidate the objectives of each learning path and the support of their in-person teachers.

Select the key characteristics of your target population. Select all that apply.

• Women & Girls
• Primary school children (ages 5-12)
• Urban
• Low-Income

If you selected “other” please indicate which populations you serve.

High level of feminicides in region

Upload your solution's Theory of Change or Logic Model.

Where would you place your solution on Nesta's Standards of Evidence?

To date, what research/studies has your organization conducted or commissioned that have helped demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution? [300-500 words recommended]

Foundational Research: compendium of literature used within of our programs. https://drive.google.com/drive...

Formative research:

Since the pandemic, Crack The Code has carried out various virtual social programs in the region, in which analysis and evaluation of results are conducted to understand the impact of the interventions generated and thus, monitor their efficiency and achievement of objectives.
Among the digital training programs aimed at girls, boys, and young people, the following stand out: Samsung Innovation Campus, aimed at university students in Peru, to promote their employability; +Chicas Tec in partnership with UNICEF Peru, which for three consecutive editions has impacted the digital training of more than 300 teenage girls.
In Mexico, the Bootcamp STEM program was conducted in partnership with UNICEF Mexico, with a participation of 498 women with an average age of 14 and from 5 states of the Republic, in which their life skills were strengthened and programming knowledge was developed.
Also, Los Crack Del Código and Niñas en la Tecnología in partnership with Fundación Prosegur; these programs reached more than 250 boys and girls between 7 and 17 years old from eleven countries in Central and South America in the two years of the alliance. Both promoted programming training in a playful way to reduce the stigma of video games as a learning tool, and Niñas en la Tecnología encouraged teenage girls to respond to an educational challenge through programming a video game during a hackathon.
In Colombia, in partnership with Fundación Otero Leviano, the educational programming training program aimed at girls aged 5 to 13 has been implemented, with the participation of more than 390 students in three editions.
Currently, the +Education +Innovation program is also being implemented in an intersectoral alliance with the Secretaría de Educación de Barranquilla, in partnership with Fundación Santo Domingo and Velez Reyez+, benefiting +3000 students from District Educational Institutions. This program focuses on developing and strengthening technological aspects, socio-occupational and emotional skills of 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade students to improve their employability. Its operation is projected until 2027.

What has the data collected from the research/studies revealed about your solution and how did it inform your work moving forward? [300-500 words recommended]

In the Cracks del Código program, a 23% increase in basic programming knowledge was achieved at the end of the program. Among the evaluated students, there was a 42% increase in their understanding of programming concepts, and 35% used programming blocks to create characters in video games. 75% of the girls and boys who completed the course achieved a rating ranging from very good to outstanding in their final projects, which were retro-style video games.

On the other hand, in Niñas en la Tecnología, a 40.4% increase in basic knowledge about using the Scratch platform was achieved at the end of the course. 94% of the girls expressed their desire to continue learning about technology, and 78% about programming. Additionally, 33% stated that after the course, they became interested in studying a career related to programming and web development. 83% of the girls commented that women's participation should be significant in the technology sector.

In the Bootcamp STEM intervention in Mexico, an 11% increase in programming knowledge and a 6% increase in awareness of the importance of life skills in the digital world were achieved. At the end of the program, the standardized test "Self-Directed Search," known by its initials in English as SDS, was conducted to evaluate career options based on interests. 12% of the students listed a career related to software, web, or video game development as their first or second choice.

One of the participating states in this program was Chihuahua, where a 19% increase in mastery of basic programming concepts was achieved. As a result of the aforementioned SDS test, it was found that 13% of the participants considered their mathematical ability to be high. And, particularly in Ciudad Juárez (where Girls in Technology-MX will be implemented), there was a 10% improvement in general programming knowledge, with 86% stating that women's participation in STEM areas should be significant. Additionally, 61% mentioned that they are "very" to "extremely" interested in continuing to learn programming and web development after participating in this program. Regarding the results achieved in the SD test, 17% consider themselves to have a high development in their scientific capacity and 25% in their mathematical ability.

The mentioned projects and others not included in this document have provided evidence and development foundations in such a way that influenced the Instituto Promotor de la Educación, financially supported by the United Way Chihuahua, to decide to implement the courses for elementary school students in the mentioned intervention area.

Describe your organization's need to strengthen the evidence base of your solution. [300-500 words recommended]

After 6 years of executing training programs and reaching over 16,000 students, Crack The Code recognizes the need to demonstrate in the technological and educational sectors the strategies and methodologies it has developed for programming education and the development of digital skills from childhood. It is considered necessary to show that both creative and playful spaces, as well as the implementation of video games, are an educational opportunity that encourages and promotes the development of computational thinking in girls, boys, and young people.

In each of the programs, an evaluation of results is carried out to verify and strengthen the achievement of objectives that benefit the students of future editions. Therefore, through the LEAP challenge, the team would have the opportunity to strengthen the methodology and instruments to position the results obtained and to be evaluated, being an opportunity for other organizations with the same purposes to use the evidence created by CTC to replicate the practices in other countries and thus increase the reach and benefit of the populations intervened with our programs.

Additionally, Mexico is chosen as the venue because the social and cultural diversity existing in the country allows the results identified as a result of the LEAP challenge in the Girls in Technology-MX project to favor the design and strengthening of the educational models of the different programs so that they can be replicable in Hispanic populations throughout the continent, and especially directed at women to impact the reduction of gender gaps existing in STEM areas from childhood.

Ciudad Juárez, the implementation site of the program, is an area of high marginalization and vulnerability in the country, as it borders the United States; additionally, it is part of one of the states with the highest gender violence rates. Therefore, having the research results generated in this educational project provides the opportunity to direct efforts and more careful attention, responding in a targeted manner to the needs of these populations.

What are 2-3 research questions that you would like your LEAP Project to help you answer? [100 words recommended]

What are the benefits of the "Thinking Based Learning" methodology for the development of computational thinking, specifically in girls, ensuring their technological and inclusive education?

Is there a higher level of interest in technology and programming when video games are used as an educational resource compared to traditional computer teaching strategies?

Is there an increase in basic programming knowledge that promotes creative thinking and mathematical skills when it is part of the elementary school curriculum?

What type of research methods do you think will help answer your stated questions? Select all that apply.

• Foundational research (literature reviews, desktop research)
• Formative research (e.g. usability studies; feasibility studies; case studies; user interviews; implementation studies; process evaluations; pre-post or multi-measure research; correlational studies)

Please elaborate on your selection above by describing your desired outputs of the 12-week LEAP Project sprint. [300 - 500 words recommended]

Literature review and bibliographic analysis of the strategies that make up the "Thinking Based Learning" methodology take into account the inclusion of girls' learning needs, as well as the importance of promoting the use of didactic resources that ensure the development of their creative and mathematical thinking.

Review and analysis of previous studies and research regarding the educational, social, and cultural context of the area where the program will be implemented, aimed at the digital training of girls, boys, and young people, in order to identify prior learning and generate strategies that ensure the achievement of program objectives.

Continuous process evaluation to identify how these flows benefit the project, to identify achieved learning, success stories, and areas for improvement that can be replicated in other similar programs.

Standardization of evaluation instruments to perform longitudinal analysis of the evidence provided by the program and make it replicable in others, thereby establishing the level of impact it has on digital skills development.

Evaluation of basic programming knowledge, input and output, to validate the program's impact in terms of mastering basic programming concepts, to determine the effectiveness of the methodology and its influence on the behavioral aspects of the population.

Evaluation of interest perception in technology, programming, and women's sectoral participation in the TECH sector, will allow us to understand the importance of formative interventions specifically aimed at this sector of the population from childhood.

Identification of success cases through monitoring and conducting interviews with students who have successfully graduated to gather qualitative data on the achievements made in the program, the challenges faced, and thus record their experience in the program and with the organization, to meet the expectations of the target population.

How will your organization put these outputs into action? [300-500 words recommended]

Access to educational resources: Moodle, a learning management platform, will be used to centralize access to educational resources. This platform will allow students to review recorded sessions and offline extracurricular activities, enabling them to expand their knowledge and improve their computational thinking skills.

Feedback on student performance: Our methodology includes practical moments during class sessions, during which our teachers will provide feedback on the students' progress, aiming to help them consolidate their knowledge in real time and from class to class.

Continuous monitoring and evaluation: A monitoring and evaluation system will be established to continue tracking the program's impact as improvements are implemented. This will enable rapid iteration of teaching methods and curricula based on real-time feedback and student outcomes.

Teacher training and development: Training sessions based on project outcomes will be implemented for CTC teaching staff. These sessions will focus on emerging best practices and how to effectively apply them in the classroom to maximize student learning.

Results communication: Crack The Code is committed to openly sharing project results and key learnings with the broader educational community. This will be done through:

Publication of detailed reports: Accessible reports documenting progress, challenges, and successes, available to the educational community.

Use of results for continuous improvement: Adaptation and improvement of courses based on collected learnings to better respond to student needs.

Expansion to more educational institutions: Utilization of positive results as a basis for proposing the program's inclusion in more schools.

Community feedback and participation: Encouragement of continuous feedback and active participation to maintain the relevance and effectiveness of the project.

Describe your desired long-term outcomes of the 12-week LEAP Project sprint for both your organization and solution. [300-500 words recommended]

In pursuit of our long-term objectives for the 12-week LEAP Project, our organization envisions substantial advancements both internally and externally. Firstly, we aim to refine our impact measurement methodologies, identifying the most effective approach to incorporate into our operational framework. By rigorously assessing various methodologies throughout the project's duration, we anticipate enhancing our ability to accurately quantify and evaluate the outcomes of our interventions. This not only bolsters our organizational capacity but also instills confidence in our stakeholders regarding the efficacy of our programs.

Furthermore, a paramount long-term outcome is the establishment of a robust evaluation framework that facilitates the expansion of our efforts beyond Ciudad Juarez. Through meticulous evaluation of the program's efficacy, we aspire to develop a comprehensive understanding of its scalability and replicability in diverse geographic contexts. Armed with compelling evidence of impact, we intend to leverage this knowledge to extend our initiatives to other communities, thereby broadening our reach and magnifying our societal influence.

Ultimately, the LEAP Project represents a pivotal opportunity for our organization to fortify its foundation and amplify its social impact. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and evidence-based decision-making, we aspire to not only enhance our effectiveness in Ciudad Juarez but also pave the way for sustainable expansion into new territories. Through this transformative endeavor, we envision catalyzing lasting change in the digital literacy landscape, empowering girls in primary education and beyond to thrive in an increasingly technology-driven world.