California Schools and Teachers essays

California Schools and Teachers essays Are the California schools and teachers making the grade in regard to illiteracy' Illiteracy is a problem of hidden proportions. For example, the San Diego Business Journal recently quoted the San Diego's Council on Literacy and pointed out that 20% of the United States population is functionally illiterate and 26% in the San Diego County. So are the teachers missing the point or are there some other underlying problems' The entire educational system is being severely tested as administrators point out that smaller class sizes create a need for more classrooms and teachers. These demands for more teachers force the system to hire many unqualified individuals. "In terms of sheer statistics, the state is a national leader. State enrollment is adding about 100,000 students each year, meaning that California will be home to one-fifth of all US students in a few decades. As a result of this growth, an estimated 300,000 teachers will be needed here during the next decade - even as the nation is in the middle of a teacher shortage." (Unknown, "As California overhauls schools, America watches for lessons") With those statistics, I feel that qualified teachers for the most part will be doing an excellent job in the fight against illiteracy. However, I think that the school systems are not addressing the problem of illiteracy and the fact that so many new and unqualified teachers will be entering the process may cause irreparable damage. Unqualified teachers may not be able to distinguish if a child has Dyslexia or if that child is merely nearsighted for example. And with the system under such stress, even if a teacher discovers the problem, his or her hands may be tied with few options on getting the proper help with the illiteracy problem. Illiteracy is defined as a person having little to no education; or more specifically not being able to read or write. California d...