A new survey revealed that many teachers use their own money to buy students' school supplies. Photo courtesy Wirawat Lian-udom via Flickr.

Chronicle of Philanthropy: This week, The Chronicle of Philanthropy unveiled a new, comprehensive study on how people in the United States donate to charities. Among its numerous resources, the study includes interactive maps, an examination of the roles of religion and tax breaks in giving, and a ranking of the 50 states by how much their citizens donate. According to The Chronicle, Utah is the most generous state in both dollars contributed and time volunteered. Where does your state rank on the list? Visit the study to find out.

Education Week: Numerous studies have shown that the more students miss school, the more likely they are to eventually drop out. Missing school prevents students from learning new information and often leaves them struggling to keep up in their classes. Even when a student is pulled out of the classroom for disciplinary reasons, it can have a negative effect on his or her overall education.

This week, 50 national groups reached out to school districts across America to ask them to stop issuing out-of-school suspensions to students, and instead find more “constructive” courses of discipline. The groups included several educational and race equity powerhouses, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative.

For many students, making it to school on time isn’t as simple as getting on the bus. Barriers such as poverty, community violence and a lack of positive role models keep thousands of students from making it to school on a daily basis. And when a school pulls a student out of class, he or she is missing even more valuable learning time. Communities In Schools site coordinators help students learn positive behaviors so that they are not taken out of class for disciplinary reasons. During the 2010-2011 school year, 82 percent of students receiving Communities In Schools services met their suspension reduction goals.

Huffington Post: When you were a student, did you ever wonder where your classroom snacks came from? Or your construction paper, calculator or scissors? According to a survey by Adopt-A-Classroom, necessity items for students are routinely coming out of teachers’ wallets. The survey asked questions about the work spending habits of 1,188 K-12 teachers from public, private and charter schools across the country. In tabulating the results, Adopt-A-Classroom discovered that 91 percent of the survey participants routinely purchased items for their students. Most of the supplies the teachers mentioned were for the classroom, like crafts and snacks. But just as often, the teachers mentioned products to help children survive outside school, like toothbrushes, soap and alarm clocks.

Communities In Schools makes sure that the students we serve get everything they need to succeed in school and in life. Like these amazing teachers, we provide children with food and clothing. During the back-to-school season, many of our affiliates work with the community to make sure students the first day of school with all the supplies they need to effectively learn in the classroom.

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