Classroom Funding

At Olivia Aston’s teacher shower, guests ate wafer cookies shaped like pencils.
At Olivia Aston’s teacher shower, guests ate wafer cookies decorated like pencils.
Photo courtesy of Olivia Aston
Teaching Profession Teacher Showers: Helping Hand or Symptom of a Profession in Trouble?
It's a boon to new teachers, but others worry about it reinforcing the idea that teachers should pay for things out of pocket.
Madeline Will, September 13, 2022
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4 min read
Image of supplies for the classroom.
Jianbi Chen/iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance Teachers Take to Twitter to Crowdfund Classroom Supplies
Teacher wish lists posted under the hashtags #Clearthelists and #Adoptateacher are trending on Twitter.
Apoorvaa Mandar Bichu, August 17, 2022
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3 min read
Illustration of exit doors leading out of a school hallway
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Teaching Profession Opinion Why I Left Teaching (Spoiler: It Wasn't the Students)
A public school teacher explains how three troubling trends drove him out of the profession this year.
Paul Veracka, August 2, 2022
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5 min read
A photo of money seen through a rip in denim
Maria Utekhina/iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Opinion Why This Teacher Will No Longer Pay for the ‘Privilege’ to Wear Jeans
Getting to wear jeans occasionally at my school hardly seems worth the outlay, explains a teacher.
Kelly Scott, March 22, 2022
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3 min read
Photo illustration of colorful school supplies
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images
Budget & Finance Opinion Teachers Need More Money for the Classroom. Here's How I Would Spend It
An elementary teacher explains what he'd do with a $3,000 classroom-supply budget.
Thomas Courtney, February 9, 2022
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4 min read
Image of PPE
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Teaching Profession Teachers Can Apply PPE Costs to Their $250 Educator Tax Deduction. Is That Enough?
Many teachers were hoping the $250 tax break would be increased for this school year, given other expenses they've had to contend with.
Madeline Will, December 29, 2020
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6 min read
Teaching Profession Schools Need Extra Supplies Since Kids Can't Share. Per Usual, Teachers Are Paying
While schools are making bulk purchases of hand sanitizer and face masks, it's less clear if district money will cover all of the other new expenses teachers will encounter this year.
Sarah Schwartz, July 31, 2020
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3 min read
Teaching Profession This Teacher Is Suing Her District Over Working for Free, Buying School Supplies
School districts have "unconscionably and impermissibly shifted operating costs of the classrooms directly on the financial backs of our teachers," the lawsuit alleges.
Madeline Will, November 26, 2019
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4 min read
An Education Week analysis found dozens of posts on Facebook, such as these, and Twitter urging parents to take out “back to school” loans.
An Education Week analysis found dozens of posts on Facebook, such as these, and Twitter urging parents to take out “back to school” loans.
Teaching Lenders Push High-Interest 'Back-to-School' Loans on Parents Via Social Media
Posts on Facebook and Twitter urge parents who need money for school supplies to take out payday and other loans, which experts caution have sky-high rates and school leaders say are unnecessary.
Madeline Will, August 27, 2019
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6 min read
Teaching Opinion Response: Show Me the Money! Ways Teachers Can Raise Funds for Their Classrooms
Suggestions on how teachers can raise private monies to support their classroom are offered by Alfonso Gonzalez, Holly Spinelli, Susan Lafond, Amanda Koonlaba, and Barbara Gottschalk.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 29, 2019
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17 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Budget & Finance From Our Research Center How Do Teachers Fund Their Classrooms? 6 Takeaways
Most teachers say they expect to contribute resources to their classrooms, but teachers aren’t only putting up the cash themselves. In addition to old standbys like grants and bake sales, many are turning to other fundraising opportunities, including online crowdfunding platforms like DonorsChoose.
Sarah Schwartz, April 11, 2019
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4 min read
Cynthia Christopher’s kindergarten class receives chicken eggs to hatch at Stonehurst Magnet School in Sun Valley, Calif.
Cynthia Christopher’s kindergarten class receives chicken eggs to hatch at Stonehurst Magnet School in Sun Valley, Calif.
Meg Oliphant for Education Week
Early Childhood Photo Essay Teacher Keeps Up Long Tradition of Hatching Chicks With Kindergartners
Cynthia Christopher's kindergarten class receives chicken eggs to hatch at Stonehurst Magnet School in Sun Valley, Calif.
Education Week Photo Staff, March 21, 2019
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2 min read
Budget & Finance School Districts Are Banning Teachers From Using DonorsChoose
As teacher-led crowdfunding grows ever more popular, school leaders are starting to voice concerns.
Sarah Schwartz, March 14, 2019
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6 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Shootings Spur Teachers to Appeal for Help in Buying Safety Supplies
In the wake of deadly school shootings, more teachers are turning to crowdfunding sites to ask for help buying emergency supplies for classrooms.
Sarah Schwartz, September 25, 2018
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1 min read
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