NATION Survey finds textbook shortages pose serious problem in schools

Among states, the average amount spent on textbooks is 1 percent of total education expenditures.
WASHINGTON -- One out of six elementary and secondary schoolteachers who use textbooks in their classes say they do not have enough books for every child in their class.
And nearly one in three teachers report they do not have enough textbooks so that all pupils can take a textbook home.
Those are among the results of a national survey by the National Education Association and the Association of American Publishers.
The textbook shortage is most acute in urban schools, where 39 percent 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."
"Policy makers must address this staggering need and provide teachers and students with the tools required to be successful," Weaver added.
Survey's purpose
The results are part of a June 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 percent to 0.5 percent of total education expenditures. The average of all the states is 1 percent.
Because this is a survey of teachers who are NEA members rather than a survey of all teachers across the nation, several important urban areas were beyond the scope of this study. Consequently, while this study uncovers a serious need for more and better textbooks, it is likely that the problem across the nation as a whole is even more serious than described in the report, the authors said.