Textbooks in Short Supply

One of every six elementary and secondary school teachers who use textbooks in their classes say they do not have enough books for every child in their class, according to a new national survey by the NEA and the Association of American Publishers.

In addition, nearly one in three teachers report they do not have enough textbooks so that all students can take a textbook home.
The textbook shortage is most acute in urban schools, where 39% of teachers say they do not have enough textbooks to assign homework, but even suburban teachers report an inadequate supply.

“Textbooks are the most basic classroom resource there is, and yet the nation is failing to provide enough funding for each student to have one,” said Reg Weaver, president of the 2.7 million-member NEA. “It’s just not fair to ask educators to provide a world-class education for our students and then give them second-class resources, if any at all, to do it.

“Policymakers must address this staggering need and provide teachers and students with the tools required to be successful,” Weaver added.

The results are part of a June 2002 NEA / AAP survey of 1,000 teachers nationwide. The purpose of the survey was to learn more about how instructional materials are being used in schools. The survey shows little change from a similar survey by the NEA and AAP in 1996.

“There is a terrible textbook shortage in our nation’s schools,” said AAP President and Chief Executive Officer Pat Schroeder. “While teachers tell us that textbooks perform critically important roles in the classroom, spending for instructional materials remains at deplorable levels. In fact, out of every dollar spent on education nationwide, less than a penny is spent on textbooks.”

Recent analyses performed by AAP show that state spending for textbooks varies from 2.3% to 0.5% of total education expenditures. The average of all the states is 1% – less than a penny on the dollar.

Among the survey’s major findings:

• The “achievement gap” widens when textbooks aren’t available. Thirty-four percent of teachers surveyed nationally say the achievement gap has widened between schools due to insufficient quantities of textbooks.
  
  
• When it comes to the availability of textbooks, there appears to be an economic divide. Teachers in urban districts are twice as likely as teachers in rural areas, small towns, and the suburbs to report an inadequate supply of textbooks. Similarly, those who teach students of lower socio-economic levels and those who teach primarily minority students are almost twice as likely to report an inadequate supply of textbooks.
  
  
• Textbooks are far and away the most frequently used teaching tools. The most frequently used instructional materials include textbooks, handouts, manipulatives (such as wood blocks, beads, or other tangibles used to teach math) and workbooks. Nearly half (47%) of the responding teachers say they use textbooks every day. Thirty-two percent report daily use of handouts, 30% report daily use of manipulatives and 21% report daily use of workbooks.
  
  
• Elementary school teacher members are more likely than those who teach other grade levels to report daily use of handouts (44% vs. 16% who teach middle/junior high, 23% who teach high school, and 29% who teach combined grade levels), manipulatives (49% vs. 13%, 11%, and 34% respectively), and workbooks (33% vs. 9%, 11%, and 17%).
  
  
• Of teacher respondents who use textbooks, a strong majority – 84% – say it is very important that every student have his or her own textbook for use in class.
  
  
• Eighty-eight percent of teachers who use textbooks say it is very important that teachers select the textbooks, and 87% said teachers should be trained to use materials in instruction. Twenty-eight percent of teachers say they are responsible for choosing the textbooks for their classes. Others who are likely to be responsible for choosing textbooks include a site-based committee (20%) or a curriculum coordinator (15%).
  
  
• Major problems arise when teachers and students do not have enough textbooks. For example: Nearly one in three teachers report they do not have enough textbooks so that all students can take a textbook home, making it more difficult for teachers to assign homework.
  
  
• Among teachers who use textbooks, 61% report that the most common problem resulting from an inadequate supply of textbooks is that they have to purchase supplemental materials using their own funds. Teachers who use textbooks and primarily teach minority students are significantly more likely than those who teach majority white students to say they have had to purchase supplementary materials (74% vs. 56%).
  
  
• Another common problem relates to class discipline. Twenty-seven percent of teachers report that they experience class disruptions due to students sharing books in class.
  
  
• One in three teachers (32%) report the oldest textbook they use is 10 years or older. Teachers forced to use such outdated information report the likelihood of having to do additional work to update the textbook (36%); students losing interest (33%); students being exposed to incorrect information (28%); and students feeling that the textbook is of no value (27%).
  

To view all findings of the NEA/AAP 2002 National Survey on Instructional Materials, go to: www.publishers.org.

Posted November 15, 2002