Crowdfunding
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.
Education
Opinion
Straight Up Conversation: DonorsChoose.org CEO Charles Best
I recently talked with Charles Best about DonorsChoose.org. Using the website, teachers in 80 percent of American public schools have collectively raised $760 million to fund 1.2 million different classroom projects. Charles explains how the program works and what the future holds.
Teaching Profession
Study: Teachers Use Crowdfunding Sites to Make Up for Budget Shortfalls
New research from Texas State University offers a closer look at what factors lead a teacher to list a project—and how educators may be shifting their instructional priorities to become more marketable on the platform.
Education Funding
Craigslist Founder Donates $1 Million to Fund STEM Projects on Donors Choose
The money will fund projects at schools where more than half of the students come from low-income households, and $100,000 is reserved specifically for projects providing science and technology opportunities for girls.
Teaching Profession
A $29 Million Donation Funds Classroom Projects for 30,000 Teachers
The donation from cryptocurrency startup Ripple funded every open campaign on education crowdfunding platform DonorsChoose.org.
School & District Management
Donors Choose Helps Teachers Deliver Food, Clothing to Students in Need
Teachers are spending their own money to provide students with basic needs, such as clothing, combs, deodorant, toothpaste and other hygiene items, and even food, according to a new survey.
Assessment
Florida Parents Turn to GoFundMe To Fight 3rd Grade Retention Law
Florida parents are attempting to raise funds to file a lawsuit so that 3rd graders won't be retained this year based on standardized tests.
Classroom Technology
Celebrities Mobilize to Launch #BestSchoolDay Campaign to Support Classroom Projects
The non-profit education organization DonorsChoose.org announced that celebrities, athletes, and more have pledged to flash fund over $14 million for over 11,000 public school classroom projects in communities across the country.
Teaching Profession
Stephen Colbert Helps Fund Every DonorsChoose Project in South Carolina
The late night host, along with the Morgridge Family Foundation and ScanSource, are helping to fund nearly 1,000 projects at more than 375 schools.
Science
Code.org Launches $5 Million Crowd-Funding Campaign
The nonprofit is attempting to raise $5 million through the crowd-funding site Indiegogo to help introduce 100 million students to computer coding.
Curriculum
Crowd-Funding, Student Petitions Bring Computer Science Classes to California Districts
Next school year, four high schools in California will debut Advanced Placement Computer Science classes, thanks to student petitions and crowd-funding campaigns supportive of those efforts.
Curriculum
Reading Rainbow Kickstarter Raises Over $5 Million, With 100,000-Plus Backers
After one month of powerhouse fundraising, the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter project ended Wednesday, breaking a Kickstarter record for number of contributors in the process.
Curriculum
Crowdfunding Kickstarts Book Projects
Kickstarter, the popular crowdfunding site for creative projects, has fostered innovative storytelling methods that could soon find their way into classrooms.
International
Donors Choose Targets Storm-Affected Schools
Heads up if you're in the storm-ravaged Northeast (or if you know a teacher who is): Donors Choose, the nonprofit that collects donations to support classroom projects, has a launched an effort to connect donors with teachers in schools that have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. Teachers can get more information here.