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...