The ideal of “public education for all” was and continues to be a major factor in making the United States of America a great nation. Scottish Rite Masons have, for over 200 years, been dedicated to supporting public education.

In 1955, the Scottish Rite added childhood language and learning disorders to our philanthropies. In 1978 the Alabama Scottish Rite established a program for Developmental Aphasia at the University of Montevallo. This program continued successfully for nearly 25 years.

With growing recognition of the vast number of children affected by dyslexia, in 2001 the Alabama Scottish Rite Foundation made testing for and treatment of dyslexia a major focus.

Today, through our Learning Center, we offer the services of Dr. Denise Gibbs to the Alabama State Department of Education and local schools directly. Dr. Gibbs offers a variety of services ranging from workshops on diagnosing dyslexia to Response to Instruction. Dr. Gibbs oversees a staff of diagnosticians who test children for dyslexia in several of our local centers. Because of our belief in public education, we are long standing sponsors of the Alabama Teacher of the Year and Teacher Hall of Fame programs.