CLASSROOM
TRENDS REPORT:
U.S. Teachers Take on Expanding Roles and Responsibilities
BY ANNE WUJCIK
T
oday’s teachers juggle a variety of responsibilities and expand-
ing roles in U.S. schools — from daily instruction, to writing
curriculum, to integrating digital resources, to recommending
and purchasing classroom instructional materials. MDR’s latest report,
Classroom Trends — Teachers as Buyers of Instructional Materials and
Users of Technology, based on a widerange survey of U.S. teachers ,
includes findings on:
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Purchasing behaviors and budgets,
Factors that are important in deciding what to buy,
Types of instructional resources used in classrooms,
Teacher models and their use of apps,
The growing role in creating their own instructional materials and,
Teacher influence on purchases at the school and district level.
6 essentials | summer 2017
Teachers as Buyers — Purchasing
Behaviors and Budgets
Classroom teachers in America’s
public schools spend $1.75 billion per
year on instructional materials and
school supplies from classroom bud-
gets and teacher out-of-pocket
expenditures. While schools and
districts provide basic supplies and
instructional resources, many teachers
need additional materials throughout
the school year. More than half of the
3.4 million U.S. public school teachers
receive an annual classroom budget