Douglas Alexander: “I say a few words about the legislation passed last night that we call IDEA, to help children with disabilities. The…”

“I say a few words about the legislation passed last night that we call IDEA, to help children with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which we have enacted is critical for the approximately 6.5 million children with special needs across the country, 125,000 of which I've in my home state of Tennessee. The bill makes a number of substantial reforms. I would like to highlight two that I think are particularly important: No. 1, the bill clarifies the definition of a highly qualified teacher, and No. 2, the bill also creates a seamless early childhood program for children from birth until school age. Research has shown that students taught by effective teachers greatly outperform those taught by ineffective teachers. That's why it is a priority for me to ensure that students have a highly qualified teacher in their classroom, especially special education students.”