Dive Brief:

• A beta version of ClassWallet — a web-based application that gives teachers useful strategies for collecting, managing and spending classroom dollars — launched last week. 
• The site was created by ed tech entrepreneur Jamie Rosenberg, who wanted to streamline the way schools or foundations could distribute money to teachers. Instead of having them pay out of pocket and submit receipts for reimbursement, teachers can spend money directly from a ClassWallet account connected to the school.  
• ClassWallet has partnered with the likes of Best Buy, Office Depot, Scholastic, School Specialty, and Carson Delosa so teachers can potentially purchase what they need directly from the site, without having to go anywhere. For offline purchases, such as field trips, teachers can move ClassWallet funds to a prepaid Mastercard.  

Dive Insight:

ClassWallet places a lot of the classroom buying power in the hands of those closest to the base — teachers. The reimbursement procedure often means teachers spend less because they feel limited by their own wallets, even if they know they will be reimbursed, or they forget to turn in receipts for smaller things and end up spending a lot of their own money. Having to tell the school what you want them to purchase has its own set of issues, as it can mean teachers forgetting or leaving off things that they need because they can't conceptualize their classroom yet or are being asked too far in advance. That method also hurts new teachers who may miss the supplies submission deadline from the summer before. ClassWallet eliminates all the paperwork by giving teachers the funds directly, and everything purchased is tracked on a PDF so administrators can check in and see how teachers are deciding to use their funds.