Special Education, or lack thereof, in Korea

This assignment was a bit tricky for me, as special education is completely absent in my school (which I’ll address later in the assignment). Instead, my interview is with Jin Jung Ah, an English teacher who holds extra classes before school for low-level students. These students do not have disabilities, certainly not diagnosed ones, but it’s the closest thing to extra help that is offered at my school.

According to Korean Law, “schools may not discriminate or refuse admission based on learning difficulties or special needs,” and “there must be at least one school in each province to cater for children with special learning needs.” In Daegu, there are 8 schools for the disabled, with more than 1400 students shared between them.

However, in my personal experience here at Sawol Elementary, learning disabilities of any kind are completely ignored. There are several students at my school who I suspect to be developmentally delayed or suffer from ADHD, but nothing is done about this. When asked, my co-teachers seconded my suspicion, but then shrug it off. The student is then loaded with the same amount of work as low-level students, even though he or she cannot complete these assignments without assistance. On an individual level, I’m not sure how these students operate in their home lives, but their teachers aren’t aware of any special training or additional lessons they receive specific to a disability.

Let’s separate from disabilities for a moment to look at education for low-level students. In my elementary school, Jin Jung Ah is an English teacher, my co-teacher, who offers extra classes before school starts for students struggling with the material. These lessons are informal, mostly consisting of self study from personal textbooks, and of the 34 students recommended to attend, only 5 students do so on a regular basis. Students are automatically recommended into the classes if they fail to meet the “basic line” of the standard test in grades 4 through 6.

The signs of a struggling low-level student are similar to those of a disabled student, Jung Ah notes. “They don't answer correctly to the simple basic questions. They don't understand the teacher's lesson or remember it well. They have difficulty focusing on the studying.” These are all symptoms listed in the IDEA language, although the law has much more emphasis on recurrence and consistency of these problems.

Extra classes are the school’s way of informally dealing with low-level students. A much more effective way would be a full RTI process, as used in IDEA action, but unfortunately no such law exists in Korea. Instead, the provisions made for special cases are in the form of alternative methods. “Teachers in charge of the subjects respectively teach the students after school, or before the regular class and they have a test 2 times a semester. The school offers the additional text book and teaches them during vacations to help their knowledge.”

Jung Ah, along with most teachers, realizes that there is a need for Special Education in our school. She believes the reason we lack a specific program is due to budget constraints and parent hesitation. In her words, “being a parent for a disabled child is not accepted easily.” It seems many parents would rather assume their child is stupid rather than investigate what could be a more serious problem, something that is very difficult for us to hear in this day and age.

When asked about the degree of parent involvement regarding special help, Jung Ah’s only comment is “The parents can refuse the extra lessons for their children. Sometimes the students feel shame about the extra studying.” In combination with her previous answer, a picture begins to develop. Again, this is only a case study in one elementary school, but that information is hard to reconcile with the progressive language of the disability laws that created special education schools in the country.

As mentioned earlier, an American law heavily referenced in special education cases is IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Unfortunately, IDEA is not an international law. And even more unfortunately, my knowledge of special education is limited from my time in South Korea. So let’s look into how IDEA continues to shape special education as we know it.

Throughout the 8 steps in IDEA involved in referring a student into special education, it’s important to have constant contact and updates between all teachers involved with the student, and the parents. From initial recognition that there might be a problem, through the response to intervention process, to actual execution and evaluation of the individualized education program, teachers and parents need to be involved in every single step.

Most important, I feel, is the pre-referral (Response to Intervention)step. Before implementation of IDEA, this RTI process may have been overlooked or skipped over completely, but I think that taking the time to fully evaluate a specific student, know to which degree help is needed, is vital. Determining what tier a student calls into is important to decide to what degree intervention is required.

Beyond the IEP, there are many other considerations to make. The question of if they can adjust the curriculum to suit the student without changing schools or going beyond the classroom is huge. A change in routine affects students of all ages and abilities, but especially so those with disabilities. Not to mention the social aspect of changing their learning environment could have lasting effects.

It’s possible that my school is an odd duck in this regard, but I find it unlikely that in 8 years of operation, there has never been a single reported case of special needs (a fact adamantly conveyed by my vice principal). More likely, a child presenting with a disability would never make it to public school, but would be sent to the specialty school upon presenting symptoms.

With all of the information and research available today about the various disabilities found in students around the world, it’s no surprise that I’m optimistic about the role of special education in the future. Although working in Korea doesn’t put in me in the best frame of mind on this subject, I’m decidedly more hopeful about the rest of the world. Assistive devices are becoming more common and affordable, the general public is becoming more aware of the issue, and teachers are working together more constructively to create personalized learning for those who need it.