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