Almost half of educators say their students will not have access to classroom supplies when they go back to school in 2024.
When students do not have the resources they need to learn, teachers step in to help. And with classroom budgets frequently underfunded, teachers use personal funds to provide for their students.
Each year, teachers spend $860 of their own money on school supplies. These expenses are a major strain on underpaid educators – and inflation has worsened the issue.
When students go back to school in 2024, they should have the supplies they need to learn – but teachers shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket to provide those materials.
Teachers Require Resources to Meet Students’ Needs
In our recent survey, we asked teachers what their students biggest challenges will be during the upcoming school year:
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68% said their students are experiencing poverty
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68% said their students are not reading at grade level
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47% said they have at least one student who is experiencing homelessness
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46% said their students do not have the mental health resources they need
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43% said students do not have access to basic classroom materials to learn
To address those challenges, our survey respondents highlighted additional resources that would help students going back to school in 2024 have a successful year. Basic school supply items were what teachers wanted most, with 81% of teachers saying having additional items like notebooks or pencils would help students be successful in the upcoming school year.
Respondents identified three other areas where additional resources were needed to help their students succeed in 2024: social-emotional learning and wellness resources (61%), inclusive and adaptive classroom materials (55%), and STEM supplies (50%).
“With increasing supply costs due to inflation, increased class sizes, and budget cuts, it is increasingly difficult to fund projects and activities for my STEM program.”
–2024 Teacher Survey Respondent, New Jersey
How AdoptAClassroom.org Supports Educators
Since 1998, AdoptAClassroom.org has provided teachers with flexible funding to use on school supplies and other items for their classrooms. We also offer Spotlight Fund grants to help educators address more specific student needs. Several of our grants provide funding in areas teachers are concerned about, like our Social-Emotional Wellness, Inclusive Classroom, and STEM funds.
The funds we deliver to teachers have a positive impact on their students. In our survey, 81% of teachers agreed that increased funding directly addresses gaps in their students’ learning. Educators said additional funds improve student engagement, help with educational challenges caused by poverty and homelessness, and improve students’ literacy and test scores.
Here are some of the ways that teachers used their AdoptAClassroom.org donations to improve their classrooms:
“I’m so grateful for AdoptAClassroom.org because they gave my students school supplies, diverse reading materials, and adaptive technology items. Students now have additional classroom materials that will help them on projects, assessments, presentations, homework, and in-class work.”
–2024 Teacher Survey Respondent, Minnesota
“As a Special Education teacher, foundational learning is imperative for my students. Offering them books that they can read that interest them can change the trajectory of their lives. I would not be able to offer these resources to my students without the generous support of AdoptAClassroom.org.”
–2024 Teacher Survey Respondent, Massachusetts
“I’ve used AdoptAClassroom.org funding to purchase items to support my students’ learning. I’ve bought more books for my classroom library. It’s important for students to have access to literature, especially literature that is engaging to them.”
–2024 Teacher Survey Respondent, Nevada
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Educators shouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket to give students the best education – and help from AdoptAClassroom.org makes it so they don’t have to.
Teachers who want more resources to help their students learn when they go back to school in 2024 – or anytime – can create a classroom page with AdoptAClassroom.org to immediately begin accessing our funding opportunities.