To deal with the current teacher shortage, schools have increased class sizes, used long-term substitutes, brought back retired teachers and combined classes. But schools cannot continue to rely on these “Hail Mary” strategies as the teacher shortage continues to grow and our children’s education suffers.

According to a recent study published by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools, 88% of school districts reported teacher shortages and 77% indicated the shortage problem was getting worse. Additionally, 96% said they have a substitute teacher shortage. What’s more, 86% indicated they are seeing fewer qualified applicants for open positions.

The most common of all neuro-cognitive disorders, dyslexia, affects 20 percent of the population and represents 80-90 percent of those with learning disabilities. It is estimated that 1 in 5 children in school are dyslexic but not all of those students, only about 5%, are identified as such. 

While intensive dyslexia interventions are most effective when they begin in kindergarten or first grade, oftentimes dyslexia goes undetected until 3rd or 4th grade, if at all. Experts agree that early reading problems can manifest as serious reading disabilities later on so it is vital that students are screened for dyslexia when they enter school.