Grinker said about 10-12% of school children from K-12 classes receive some form of special needs education, but that in Korea that figure is far lower, maybe under 1%.

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One of the key recommendations of the review was that the Link Centre should become a special school, capable of placing pupils when mainstream education is no longer considered viable in the long term.

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While research continues, many schools are approaching kids who might have problems earlier through a strategy known as "responsive intervention" rather than waiting for them to fail, says Dixon Deutsch, executive director of NYC Charter School Center's Special Education Collaborative.

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Among others honoured were Julie Mudd, head teacher of Ivel Valley Special School, who became an OBE for services to education and Det Supt Nigel Stone, of Bedfordshire Police, appointed MBE for services to policing.

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But the delay for special education defunding buys only a few months of time because school districts must finalize their budgeting and hiring for the upcoming year this spring.

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The stark division has led to a flurry of lawsuits and petitions, and New York State has intervened, blocking the sale of a public school building to a Jewish congregation and warning the board to change the way it uses public special education money for private schools.

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