Fast Facts

Interesting facts and quotes about Association membership and public education in Maine and beyond. Have an idea or stat you want shared? Send it along with your name and local to gbechard@maineea.org

“Statistics are like a bikini: they show much, but they hide the most

important parts,” - Shanna Peeples, National Teacher of the Year at the NEA Representative Assembly where more than 7,000 educators from around the country gathered to set the policy and agenda for the Association for the coming year.

According to a new study of teachers conducted by Communities in Schools:

91% of teachers spend their own money on supplies.

54% of teachers have used their own money to help feed students.

52% of teachers have helped a student and/or their family through a crisis.

49% of teachers have helped a student get new clothing or footwear.

Nearly one-third (29%) of teachers have arranged for a student to receive medical attention.

$ 1.3 Trillion

Total outstanding balance of federal student loans, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States.

58.3% Percentage of income growth captured by the top 1% in

Maine between 2009 and 2012 , according to data from the Economic Policy Institute. According to the same data, the disparity in income between the top 1% of income earners and the rest of the Maine population has grown by 27.8% in the last 28 years.

88% of teachers say that poverty is a barrier to learning

“There’s no research that shows kids who master these skills in kindergarten have any better academic success than kids who do it in first grade. We’re getting away from what they need—and that’s

play,” Holly Mariucci, Kindergarten teacher in NEA Today discussing reading standards for kindergarten students.