According to LiteracyNews.com, Teachers of grades K-12 spend on average $475 of their own money on classroom materials and supplies annually, with elementary school teachers spending a significantly higher amount ($539) compared to middle ($393) and high ($427) school teachers. These and other key findings can be found in a new report, Teacher Buying Behavior 2006-2007, from Quality Education Data, Inc.
QED’s Teacher Buyer Behavior also asked educators about the types of materials they need the most for their classrooms. Thirty-eight percent of all teachers report needing materials that support differentiated instruction; middle school teachers (45%) are significantly more likely to report needing these types of materials compared to elementary (37%) and high (32%) school teachers. Elementary school teachers (19%) are significantly more likely to report needing non-fiction trade for their classroom compared to middle (8%) and high (9%) school teachers.