(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- As Chicago Public School students prepare to go back to school next, one organization is leading efforts to combat the teacher shortage crisis.
Nearly 80 percent of districts in Illinois reported a shortage of teachers.
CEO of the Golden Apple Foundation Alicia Winckler said this is, in part, due to the unrealistic expectations of educators.
"They are asked to be counselors-psychologists; they are asked to be healthcare professionals at times; they are asked to be social workers," she said.
"They are asked to be parent engagement experts- to learn about all of those things as one person in one profession is almost an insurmountable task."
Chief Program Officer Kesa Thurman-Stovall said to prepare future teachers for this, the organization offers two programs: the Scholars Program and the Accelerators Program.
"Our scholars receive tuition assistance, professional development opportunities through what we call our scholar institutes," she explained.
"They receive classroom teaching experience, job placement support, and mentoring throughout the early years of teaching."
Thurman-Stovall was a 1992 Scholar herself.
Winckler emphasized how helpful the mentoring is, which most new teachers don't get regularly.
"They are working on their onboarding plan, their entry plan into teaching with their mentor and their mentor is going in and doing in-person classroom observations of their teacher practice, and giving them coaching and feedback."
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