Science teachers need adequate funding for laboratory supplies

Whatever salary the science teacher at your local public school makes per year, subtract $450.

That’s how much money the typical middle and high school science teacher spends out of pocket each year on science lab materials. The $450 figure is based on a study we recently conducted to determine whether science teachers have adequate funding to teach laboratories and science investigations. In this study, 94.6 percent of science teachers reported they spend money out of pocket for instructional materials.

We are both science education researchers with a keen interest in matters of equity in education.

Our study involved 696 middle and high school science teachers nationwide, and 70 percent of teachers reported not having adequate funding to provide high-quality instruction for their students.

The lack of funding was worse in rural and urban areas, where the percentage of secondary science teachers who reported inadequate funding — 73 percent and 78 percent, respectively — was higher than the 63 percent of suburban teachers who said they had inadequate funding.

Science teachers aren’t the only teachers who spend out of pocket to purchase supplies for students. However, science teachers face challenges that others don’t.

Science courses often require more money than other subjects due to their hands-on nature. The supplies need to be replaced frequently. There are also many laboratory experiments, such as dissections or chemical reactions, in which materials are able to be used only once.

Teachers are being asked to prepare the next generation of scientifically literate citizens to enter a highly technical workforce. Providing teachers with limited funds for science instruction could hinder students’ ability to compete globally for jobs.

If this downward trend in funding continues, we believe the quality of science education found in public schools will suffer drastically.

As the nation wrestles with making sure teachers are paid adequately, efforts should also be made to secure adequate funds to educate and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers.

M. GAIL JONES AND EMILY CAYTON, CHARLOTTE, N.C. Editor’s note: M. Gail Jones is a professor of STEM education and Emily Cayton is a graduate assistant at North Carolina State University.