Coggins: When Teachers Have To Be CFOs — Online Classroom Fundraising Speaks Volumes About Inequitable Resources In Our Nation’s Schools

Coggins: When Teachers Have to Be CFOs — Online Classroom Fundraising Speaks Volumes About Inequitable Resources in Our Nation’s Schools

The media has been covering the issue of a misalignment between the science of teaching children how to read and how reading is actually taught in schools across the country for over a year now. This has raised the question as to why the urgency to change teaching practices has not reached every teachers’ lounge in America. What could teachers possibly be discussing instead?

A recent report from Grantmakers for Education provides an explanation. Teachers are not discussing the reading wars because they are too occupied with trying to address the resource wars.

The report highlights the significant increase in the use of crowdfunding platforms, particularly DonorsChoose, by teachers in low-income schools over the past decade. By analyzing nearly 2 million teacher requests, the report reveals a clear picture of a growing systemic inequity. The requests from schools with high poverty levels differ greatly from those in low-poverty schools in terms of the number of requests, the types of support needed, and the likelihood of receiving funding. This report serves as a call to action for those in positions of power, from philanthropy to policy, to reassess the notion of resource equity in an era where social safety nets are diminishing.

During an event discussing the report, educators from low-income schools shared their experiences. One teacher mentioned that their school required all faculty members to continuously have at least one active DonorsChoose request in order to meet the school’s needs. Others discussed mentoring new teachers in fundraising strategies, noting that on some days it was worthwhile to post multiple projects due to increased donor activity. They also learned which topics were more likely to receive funding and kept an eye out for days when major donors offered matching grants. This is a glimpse into the daily life of teachers in Title I schools in 2020.

As teachers have taken on the additional role of chief development officer for their classrooms, their requests shed light on the shortcomings of current funding formulas:

1. Funding inequity is both deepening and expanding.

Every analysis of the DonorsChoose database reveals a story of inequity. Teacher requests have been growing at a remarkable compound rate of 23 percent annually, highlighting the increasing need for additional funding beyond what the government provides. The majority of fundraising efforts come from teachers in high-poverty schools. While this means that more money is flowing to these schools overall, requests from teachers in more affluent schools are more likely to receive funding. Furthermore, teachers in high-poverty schools are more likely to request essential items for their students, such as toothbrushes, while teachers in low-poverty schools are more likely to seek supplementary resources, like materials for teaching economics.

2. Requests for basic necessities are skyrocketing.

Teachers in high-poverty settings are increasingly taking on the responsibility of ensuring that their students have access to nutritious meals and warm clothing. To address this growing demand, DonorsChoose added a category called "Warmth, Care and Hunger" in 2016. In the three years following its introduction, this category has experienced nearly four times the growth rate of any other, with an annual compound growth rate of 187 percent.

3. Academic needs continue to be unmet and remain a top priority for teachers.

Contrary to popular belief, teachers are highly interested in state-of-the-art reading and math instruction. According to the report, the most-requested category for the past 10 years has been "Literacy and Language," followed by "Math and Science." No other categories come close to these. As a point of comparison, the rapidly growing "Warmth, Care and Hunger" category accounted for only 2 percent of all requests in 2019, while "Literacy and Language" made up 36 percent.

Teachers have limited paid time away from students, and how they utilize this time provides valuable insights into what needs to be improved at a system level to ensure that teachers can enhance their craft and provide students with what they need to succeed. It is crucial that we reevaluate resource adequacy and distribution in light of stagnant education budgets. If we want teachers to focus on incorporating emerging research into their classroom practices and engage in true professional development, we must relieve them of the burden of fundraising.

Celine Coggins, Ph.D., serves as the executive director of Grantmakers for Education and is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.