Every fall, parents flock to pop-up school supply sections, filling their baskets with notebooks, pens, and a crisp new backpack. But school supply shopping for parents only comes down to the essentials, because in the back of every parent's mind is the comfort of knowing their child will be given the supplies they need to succeed once they step in the classroom. Everything from tissues and paper to staplers and dry erase markers is expected to be waiting for students at the start of each school year. But when classrooms find that sufficient supplies and resources aren't available, one group can be counted on to step up – our teachers.

A significant lack of public school funding has left 94% of teachers using their own money to purchase school supplies. And while the average amount teachers spent was nearly $500 in the 2014-15 school year, the only compensation received was a maximum $250 reduction to their taxable income.

As a result, teachers have turned to crowdfunding as a means of raising money for the supplies their students so desperately need. To help spread awareness of classroom needs and assist teachers in raising money to fulfill them, the public charity DonorsChoose.org allows teachers to post their stories and explain their needs while making it easy for the public to donate to the cause. Once the needed funding is fully met, the charity purchases school supplies and sends them directly to the school.

In classrooms across the country, which school supplies are the most needed? Are certain grades and subjects given more funding than others, and how do needs differ for schools in more impoverished areas? We examined over a million funded projects from DonorsChoose.org to get a better understanding of crowdfunding for classrooms. Keep reading to see what we found.

The amount of money needed to supply classrooms heavily depends on the grade and subject – while early grade school teachers may need to buy a seemingly endless supply of crayons and craft supplies, high school science teachers may surpass their budget with a single purchase. Looking at the average donated funds per project (or each individual request on DonorsChoose.org), funds increased as the grades progressed. While an average of $526 was donated for pre-K to second grade classrooms, $780 was raised for high schoolers.

Along with grades nine through 12, applied sciences brought in the most donations, with a total average of $728. Music classrooms weren't too far behind though – the subject had an average of $670 donated; however, this total amounted to just $2.64 per student. On the other hand, an average of $517 was donated to literacy classes, making it the subject requesting the least amount in additional resources.

On Average, States Request $6.94 per Student in Resources

Donation differences based on grade and subject make sense considering the needs of each classroom differ greatly, but the reason behind discrepancies in donations between states is not as clear. Population likely plays a role – potentially a major one – but even in each state, government funding differs from district to district. Despite increased need in high-poverty schools, funding gaps between districts often leave the less fortunate to fend for themselves.

States like Illinois, Missouri, New York, and Alabama have the largest funding gaps between high- and low-poverty schools, with the poorest districts in Illinois receiving 22% less funding than the wealthiest ones. However, despite the added need of poor districts in these states, North Dakota, Vermont, and Hawaii received the most crowdsourcing funds, with over $10 for every student. On the other hand, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Nevada received the least amount of donated funds at about $5 per student.

Computers and Technology Account for Roughly 35% of All Donated Funds

Classrooms used to be a lot simpler – students would bring a pad of paper and a pen while teachers outlined notes on a chalkboard. But as blackboards turned into interactive screens, and notebooks turned into laptops, the price of school supplies skyrocketed. While a significant amount of money is still donated to provide desks and storage ($17.7 million), field trips ($29.4 million), and books ($120 million), the amount of money donated to provide classrooms with computers and technology surpassed $250 million.

But technology in the classroom doesn't always mean fancy new laptops or high-tech boards; it often means simple gadgets, subscriptions, or modern tools needed to enhance learning. Take, for example, an elementary school teacher in California who is asking for funding for Ozobots to help her students get an early start on coding and creating digital projects. Or an Arizona teacher of low-income students who is searching for funds to add headphones to a currently unusable computer lab. Regardless of the product and price, keeping up with the digital world in the 21st century wouldn't be possible for teachers without the help of crowdfunding.

Teachers Request an Average of $513 for Classroom Supplies

Despite technology accumulating the most donations, digital supplies aren't the largest expense teachers face. Instead, school trips surpassed the cost of every other project resource, costing just over $1,500, or $16.68 per student. Having visitors and guest speakers make an appearance also cost a pretty penny at a total of $1,190, but considering an auditorium can hold more students than a bus for a trip, the price per student was significantly lower.

While books and general supplies were nearly a third of the cost of trips and half the cost of guest speakers, extracurricular activities teach students lessons that traditional learning methods simply can't, making them a valuable resource for young students. Nevertheless, as educational budgets are cut, schools may increasingly find they are unable to afford to bus students or bring in guests.

Resources Needed in Your State

Just as monetary needs differ based on state, so too do the specific resources needed. While trips, the most expensive resource, were unique only to Colorado, requesting funding for visitors and guest speakers was popular in the Northeast and along the West Coast. On the other hand, turning away from traditional supplies, computers and tablets were the most uniquely requested resources from every state on the Gulf Coast, along with Nevada.

While food, clothing, and hygiene may not be the first things that come to mind when you think "school supplies," they were the most uniquely requested resource in six states: Washington, Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. It may be safe to assume that many teachers are requesting such supplies to help support students from low-income homes, but some teachers are also attempting to include real-life skills in their curriculum rather than just focusing on books. Taking a break from standardized schooling, one teacher in Kansas requested hygiene supplies to improve daily living skills, which help to increase success after graduation and boost self-esteem.

Forty Percent of Math Teachers' Requests Were for Technology

Technological advancements may have provided a plethora of new educational options for classrooms, but straying from traditional methods has stirred up some debate. However, effective or not, technology remains the most requested resource by teachers across the country – in 2013, 35% of all requested supplies were technology-related, and in 2018, there were more than 50,000 individual requests for technology.

While the term "technology" covers a wide variety of products and devices, computers and tablets made up 58% of technological requests. The rest of the requests were for instructional technology, which may or may not involve media use. Across both types of technology, however, mathematics classrooms requested the most, followed by applied sciences.

Most people may assume mathematics classes are concerned with providing calculators or computers for more online work. But teachers may be more concerned with hands-on devices like rekenreks, geoboards, number lines, and number frames in the classroom, while others may be interested in student collaboration apps, virtual whiteboards, and handheld clickers. Whichever direction math teachers take, picking the right technology can help to foster mathematical comprehension and eliminate the anxiety students so often feel around the subject.

Help a Teacher

Nonprofit organizations, like DonorsChoose.org, allow teachers to set up projects, explain their story, and receive monetary help from the generous. From basic classroom essentials and desks to sports equipment and computers, the needs of teachers and students could not be met without outside assistance.

Classroom needs and the supplies most effective at facilitating learning vary based on grade, subject, and poverty level, but regardless of the resource, a simple donation can make all the difference. At Office Depot, we want every student to have the necessary supplies to succeed. Whether you're a parent preparing your child for the upcoming school year, a teacher trying to best equip your classroom, or just someone who wants to help meet the educational needs of students, we have the supplies and low prices you need. To learn more, visit us online today.

Sources

https://time.com/longform/teaching-in-america/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2018/05/15/nearly-all-teachers-spend-own-money-school-needs-study/610542002/

https://www.wsmv.com/news/teachers-protest-for-better-schools-funding/article_6762d428-774f-11e9-8728-e73c6af2d564.html

https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2018-10-11/teachers-crowdfund-millions-for-classroom-supplies

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/12/19/569989782/how-much-do-teachers-spend-on-classroom-supplies

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2018-02-27/in-most-states-poorest-school-districts-get-less-funding

https://study.com/academy/popular/how-much-does-a-promethean-board-cost.html

https://www.learningliftoff.com/how-laptops-in-the-classroom-improve-student-learning/

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/ozobots-for-the-win/4076562/

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/help-us-hear/4074988/

https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget19/summary/19summary.pdf

https://www.donorschoose.org/project/increasing-daily-living-skills-through-d/4191913/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/helenleebouygues/2019/06/14/does-educational-technology-help-students-learn/#423afd4a4539

https://educationaltechnology.net/definitions-of-instructional-technology/

https://www.edutopia.org/article/effective-technology-use-math-class

https://www.oxfordlearning.com/what-is-math-anxiety/

https://edtrust.org/resource/funding-gaps-2018/

https://help.donorschoose.org/hc/en-us/articles/202375748-How-is-a-school-s-economic-need-level-defined-at-DonorsChoose-org-

https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/90586/school_funding_brief.pdf

https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/a-punishing-decade-for-school-funding

Methodology

We used the API from DonorsChoose.org to explore data about 1,243,000 completed projects. The data were accessed on June 19, 2019, and include records from this date to October 3, 2002. Data about each project included the subject, resource type, grade level, state, ZIP code, county, total project cost, the date the project was fully funded, and number of students.

Limitations

Data were limited to completed projects. No statistical testing was performed and, as such, this content is exploratory.

Fair Use Statement

Investing in students is investing in our future, and without sufficient supplies, their success will be hindered. If you'd like to get the word out on the struggles that students and teachers face and how the public can help, feel free to share this project. The graphics and content found here are available for noncommercial reuse. We just ask that you link back to this page to give the authors proper credit.