Office Depot Survey Finds Cost of Preparing Digital Materials for Classrooms Could Top $2-$4 Billion Annually
June 27 2016 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Move to Digital Content Has Created Unexpected
Strains on Teacher Time and Resources
Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP), a leading global provider
of office products, services, and solutions, through its
Office Depot and OfficeMax brands, today announced results of a
recent survey that found the total minimum cost of U.S. teacher
time spent copying and printing classroom materials is between $2
billion and $4 billion annually, with 75 percent of U.S. teachers
spending between one to two hours preparing materials each
week.
The non-profit Center for College & Career Readiness and
Office Depot’s “Committed to Learning” initiative recently surveyed
more than 3,000 U.S. educators. Results demonstrated that with an
average teacher’s salary of more than $55,000 per year (roughly $26
per hour) and more than 3.5 million full-time teachers in the U.S.1
the hidden costs of getting digital content into the hands of
students range from $1,500-$3,000 per teacher annually.
In schools across the U.S., “free” digital resources are
increasingly used in classrooms with hidden preparation and
duplication costs. Educators reported that the time lost preparing
digital materials is taking away from time they would spend on
lesson planning and curriculum preparation, direct student
intervention, and finding additional materials for the
classroom.
A few key findings from the survey:
- 60 percent of educators
indicated that the use of digital curriculum has not saved time on
copying and printing
- More than 75 percent indicated
they spend at least 1-2 hours per week copying and printing
materials, 25 percent reported that they spend 2-3 hours and
nearly five percent indicated they spend 4+ hours
- More than 20 percent of
respondents indicated that the time they spend preparing materials
has actually increased in the classroom
- 45 percent of educators indicate
they are solely responsible for printing, copying and preparing
digital curriculum
- More than 50 percent use
valuable parent volunteer or aide time to assist with copying and
printing
“Teachers would rather invest their time and talents in the
classroom with students versus copying digital curriculum to
hand-out in class,” said Becki Schwietz, senior director of K-12
initiatives for Office Depot, Inc. “The Office Depot professionals
that make up our ‘Committed to Learning’ initiative – many of them
former educators themselves – plan, produce and deliver classroom
materials in order to free-up time for teachers so they can do what
they do best, help our kids succeed.”
Office Depot’s “Committed to Learning” initiative has led the
company to convene a national team of education experts and
partners across disciplines. In developing this team, the company
continues to invest in district leaders and administrators in
addition to key innovation partners. Beyond Office Depot’s internal
team, the company is forging partnerships with thought leaders in
the industry to focus on early literacy, cognitive computing,
entrepreneurship, project-based learning and innovative learning
spaces.
Having worked with thousands of school districts for more than
two decades, Office Depot has solidified a belief in the principles
of equity, mastery and collaboration for successful student
outcomes. Guided by those principles, the company has made
“Committed to Learning,” its student-centric approach that
maximizes district budgets while delivering solutions and
education-sector expertise to meet the changing needs of students
today.
Learn more about Office Depot’s education solutions here.
Survey Methodology/Sample Qualifications
In April 2016, the Center for College & Career Readiness
conducted a survey of educators on behalf of Office Depot’s
“Committed to Learning” initiative. A total of 5,208 educators
(including Principals, Assistant Principals, Department Chairs,
Teachers and more) participated in the survey.
About Office Depot, Inc.
Office Depot, Inc. is a leading global provider of products,
services, and solutions for every workplace – whether your
workplace is an office, home, school or car.
Office Depot, Inc. is a resource and a catalyst to help
customers work better. We are a single source for everything
customers need to be more productive, including the latest
technology, core office supplies, print and document services,
business services, facilities products, furniture, and school
essentials.
The company has annual sales of approximately $16 billion,
employs approximately 56,000 associates, and serves consumers and
businesses in 59 countries with approximately 1,800 retail stores,
award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business
sales organization – all delivered through a global network of
wholly owned operations, franchisees, licensees and alliance
partners. The company operates under several banner brands
including Office Depot, OfficeMax, Grand & Toy, and Viking. The
company’s portfolio of exclusive product brands include TUL, Foray,
Brenton Studio, Ativa, WorkPro, Realspace and HighMark.
Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global
Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global
Select Market under the symbol ODP. Additional press information
can be found at: http://news.officedepot.com.
1 National Center for Education Statistics
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160627005010/en/
Office Depot, Inc.Julianne Embry,
561-438-1451julianne.embry@officedepot.comorEdelmanAbby Van Uum,
512-200-5341abigail.vanuum@edelman.com
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