> MarCole Releases National Teacher Registry

March 25, 2010

Help a Teacher by Buying Supplies
By William Croyle - wcroyle@nky.com
Doni Beaupre, a science teacher at Campbell County Middle School, spends more of her own money on school supplies each year than she cares to think about. "It's quite a bit," she said.
A recent survey by the National School Supply and Equipment Association revealed that 93 percent of teachers spend their own money on school supplies - an average of $500 each per year. More than 7 percent surveyed said they spend more than $1,000 annually. A new online system now available nationwide may help teachers like Beaupre curb that spending.
California-based Marcole Interactive Systems, which creates gift registries and electronic catalogs for stores such as Marshall Field, Linens 'N Things and Office Depot, has developed a registry for teachers. The site, www.nationalteacherregistry.com, enables a teacher to register for anything from Post-It notes to curriculum materials, which can be purchased for him or her by the general public. David Pava, vice president of sales and marketing for Marcole, said a few manufacturers contacted him a couple of years ago about developing a teacher registry, but the idea didn't go anywhere. Then he got a call last year from a school, asking if he'd ever heard of such a registry. "That's when we said there's got to be something to this concept," Pava said. The company did a market research study and decided to undertake the venture.
"It's like the line in the movie 'Field of Dreams' - if you build it, he will come," Pava said. "We built it." And now teachers are coming to it. Pava said it's been live for only a few days, but roughly 100 teachers nationwide have already registered. It works similarly to a bridal registry. A teacher creates a registry of supplies he or she needs. There are also tools on the site available for the teacher to publicize the registry, such as creating a letter about it to send home to parents.
People can search for a teacher's registry by his or her name, or by school name, and place an order through the Web site. The order goes directly to the retailer, such as Borders for books.
Beaupre just heard about the site this week and said it could help a lot. "I'm really curious to try it out," she said. Pava said prices should be equal to or less than what one would find in a retail store. He said Marcole receives a "minuscule" commission from retailers on sales through the site, but he's hoping it will soon attract advertisers.
ALEXANDRIA - March 25, 2010

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