{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129552"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129552","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Investigating common challenges in K-12 CS education: funding, teacher isolation, and teacher attrition","abstract":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","abstract_html":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Saffar Perez, Mariam Camille"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Computer Science","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lewis, Colleen M","Zilles, Craig","Herman, Geoffrey","Bruno, Paul","Garcia, Daniel D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-04-23","date_published":"2025-04-23","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z","subjects":["CS education","teacher isolation","teacher attrition","Career Technical Education","policy"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Mariam Saffar Perez"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129552","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lewis, Colleen M","Zilles, Craig","Herman, Geoffrey","Bruno, Paul","Garcia, Daniel D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Saffar Perez, Mariam Camille"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-04-23","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Computer Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["CS education","teacher isolation","teacher attrition","Career Technical Education","policy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Mariam Saffar Perez"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129552"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","The student, Mariam Saffar Perez, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-21 at 14:39.","The student, Mariam Saffar Perez, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-21 at 14:48.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-23 at 14:33.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21866 on 2025-10-19 at 19:15:12","This dissertation explores the factors that influence the expansion of K-12 CS education in the United States. As the U.S. pushes for national expansion of K-12 CS education, there are challenges in expanding CS education equitably. Additionally, there are gaps in our understanding of CS teachers’ experiences. To that end, I have researched three important factors in K-12 CS education: funding, teacher isolation, and teacher attrition. My first chapter was focused on understanding how Career Technical Education (CTE) funding might impact CS education. I used linear regressions to study the relationship between a district’s CTE funding and their CS course offerings and enrollment. Using California data, the results from this chapter indicated that despite the suggestions to use CTE funding to fund CS education there was no relationship between CTE funding and an increase in CS course offerings or enrollment. My second chapter focused on CS teacher isolation, where a CS teacher is the only CS teacher in their school. An isolated teacher has fewer avenues for collaboration and this may increase job dissatisfaction and their likelihood for attrition. Using California data, the results from this chapter showed that CS teachers were among the most isolated subjects. Additionally, results indicated inequity in which students have access to CS. My third chapter focused on CS teacher attrition and how this compares with teachers of other subjects. There are arguments that CS teachers are at a higher risk of attrition, in part due to more lucrative positions in the CS industry. Using logistic regressions and a Cox-Proportional Hazards model, I investigated the relationship whether CS teachers are more likely to leave the profession when controlling for personal and school factors. Results from North Carolina show that CS teachers are actually at a decreased risk of attrition. These interconnected factors contribute to a broader understanding of how CS education is evolving in the U.S. and the ways in which educational systems can better support CS teachers and, by extension, ensure equitable access to quality CS education for all students. As the demand for CS education continues to rise, addressing these three narratives will be essential for maintaining the momentum of CS expansion and ensuring its long-term success."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Investigating common challenges in K-12 CS education: funding, teacher isolation, and teacher attrition"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lewis, Colleen M","Zilles, Craig","Herman, Geoffrey","Bruno, Paul","Garcia, Daniel D."],"dc:creator":["Saffar Perez, Mariam Camille"],"dc:date":["2025-04-23","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","The student, Mariam Saffar Perez, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-21 at 14:39.","The student, Mariam Saffar Perez, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-21 at 14:48.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-23 at 14:33.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21866 on 2025-10-19 at 19:15:12","This dissertation explores the factors that influence the expansion of K-12 CS education in the United States. As the U.S. pushes for national expansion of K-12 CS education, there are challenges in expanding CS education equitably. Additionally, there are gaps in our understanding of CS teachers’ experiences. To that end, I have researched three important factors in K-12 CS education: funding, teacher isolation, and teacher attrition. My first chapter was focused on understanding how Career Technical Education (CTE) funding might impact CS education. I used linear regressions to study the relationship between a district’s CTE funding and their CS course offerings and enrollment. Using California data, the results from this chapter indicated that despite the suggestions to use CTE funding to fund CS education there was no relationship between CTE funding and an increase in CS course offerings or enrollment. My second chapter focused on CS teacher isolation, where a CS teacher is the only CS teacher in their school. An isolated teacher has fewer avenues for collaboration and this may increase job dissatisfaction and their likelihood for attrition. Using California data, the results from this chapter showed that CS teachers were among the most isolated subjects. Additionally, results indicated inequity in which students have access to CS. My third chapter focused on CS teacher attrition and how this compares with teachers of other subjects. There are arguments that CS teachers are at a higher risk of attrition, in part due to more lucrative positions in the CS industry. Using logistic regressions and a Cox-Proportional Hazards model, I investigated the relationship whether CS teachers are more likely to leave the profession when controlling for personal and school factors. Results from North Carolina show that CS teachers are actually at a decreased risk of attrition. These interconnected factors contribute to a broader understanding of how CS education is evolving in the U.S. and the ways in which educational systems can better support CS teachers and, by extension, ensure equitable access to quality CS education for all students. As the demand for CS education continues to rise, addressing these three narratives will be essential for maintaining the momentum of CS expansion and ensuring its long-term success."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129552"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Mariam Saffar Perez"],"dc:subject":["CS education","teacher isolation","teacher attrition","Career Technical Education","policy"],"dc:title":["Investigating common challenges in K-12 CS education: funding, teacher isolation, and teacher attrition"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Computer Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z"}