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In 2014, Minneapolis Public Schools commissioned a review of its special education programs. The resulting 46-page report was packed with data pointing to an overarching, damning conclusion: The district had a systemwide literacy crisis. Until it was able to teach all of its challenged students to read, children with disabilities would necessarily lag.

At that time, about 25% of special education students were literate, as measured by state reading assessments, even though research suggests 75% of children with learning differences are generally capable of performing at grade level.

The report contained a number of recommendations a

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