The DonorsChoose Blog

The latest news, tips, classroom stories, and inspiring insights from our community.

Recent Posts

Teacher Appreciation Week 2026 on DonorsChoose

Announcing an action-packed week of classroom funding!

photo of a teacher and students sitting down in a classroom

4 Ways Our Partners Supported Students During the 2025 Back-to-School Season

an illustration of an open book and other school supplies

From Maine to Maui: The Supplies Classrooms Need Most in Spring 2026

Photo of a teacher and students in their classroom

Stop Praising Teachers, Start Backing Them

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Posts for Teachers

Students Speak: This Book Changed My Life

As 4th grader Isaac says: "If you don't see yourself in books, you might feel invisible." We asked students of all ages about the books that changed their lives. Here are the authors, books, and characters that inspired them.

Photos of 8th grade student Lauren and 4th grade student JJ reading books.

A happy teacher standing in their classroom

9 Questions to Refresh Your Teaching Philosophy

A word cloud of all the words that DonorsChoose teachers use to describe themselves in order of of times they were mentioned in a survey. The words Dedicated, Creative, Passionate, Grateful, Hardworking, Innovative, Motivate, and Caring are the biggest. All the words in alphabetical order are: Adaptable, Adventurous, Advocate, Amazed, Ambitious, Appreciative, Awesome, Blessed, Busy, Collaborative, Committed, Compassionate, Concerned, Curious, Cutting-edge, Devoted, Different, Driven, Eager, Effecting, Empathetic, Empowered, Encouraging, Energetic, Energized, Engaged, Engaging, Enthusiastic, Exciting, Experienced, Flexible, Focused, Fortunate, Forward-thinking, Friendly, Frustrated, Fun, Funny, Generous, Giving, Growing, Happy, Hard-working, Helpful, Honest, Hopeful, Humble, Humbled, Imaginative, Inspired, Inspiring, Inventive, Invested, Invigorated, Involved, Kind, Leader, Learner, Learning, Loved, Loving, Loyal, Lucky, New, Nurturing, Open, Optimistic, Organized, Overwhelmed, Patient, Persistent, Positive, Prepared, Proactive, Professional, Reflective, Resilient, Respectful, Risk-taker, Student-centered, Successful, Supported, Supportive, Technological, Tenacious, Thankful, Thoughtful, Trustworthy, Understanding, Working

The Words That Define Our Teachers (According to 4,500 of Them!)

An array of books by Black authors

21 Must-Have Books by Black Authors For Your Class Library

Posts for Education Supporters

Teacher Appreciation Week 2026 on DonorsChoose

Announcing an action-packed week of classroom funding!

photo of a teacher and students sitting down in a classroom

an illustration of an open book and other school supplies

From Maine to Maui: The Supplies Classrooms Need Most in Spring 2026

Photo of a teacher and students in their classroom

Stop Praising Teachers, Start Backing Them

Image of a school hallway with artwork on the walls

3 High-Impact Ways to Give Beyond Classroom Projects

Explore local classroom projects

Explore projects from teachers down the street, in your hometown, or in school districts with the greatest need.

Posts for Partners

How The Allstate Foundation x DonorsChoose Help Students and Communities Shine

Find out how The Allstate Foundation is turning their commitment to youth empowerment, innovative social impact, and community leadership into real impact.

How Humble Bundle Helped Kids Across the Country Get Excited About Reading

Driving Employee Engagement with Heartfelt Connection

Image of three students doing science activities

Five teachers, $500,000 in STEM excellence

Posts for Education Leaders

These Districts are Partnering with DonorsChoose to Promote Equity

Find out how our Equity Accelerator Initiative (EAI) is helping districts provide equitable student access to the learning materials.

How the Delaware Department of Education Hit Literacy Goals in 10 Days

How the Hawai'i Department of Education Used $25M To Reach Every Single Public School Statewide

4 DonorsChoose Partners Who Harnessed the Season of Giving to Connect With Their Communities

Equity in the Classroom

3 Simple Ways to Make a Big Difference This School Year

The Top Moments from 25 Years of DonorsChoose

25 Equity Focus Schools to Know

Ideas for the Classroom

10 Outstanding Teacher Ideas to Encourage Experiential Learning in Your Classroom

The Free Career Curriculum from Amazon Future Engineer That Inspires Students and Teachers Alike

Celebrate Lunar New Year with a Match Offer + Free Curriculum from Panda Express

Funding Opportunities

How Our Community Celebrated 25 Years of Choosing Students & Teachers

Celebrate Lunar New Year with a Match Offer + Free Curriculum from Panda Express

Empowering the Next Generation: How The Allstate Foundation Fuels Impact through Youth-Led Service

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