Welcome to the Freedom to Learn podcast. I'm your host, Ginny Gentles. This season, we're diving

into what it means to return education to states, communities, and families, and we're exploring

what becomes possible when education is freed from union dominance and federal control.

Last November marked the 50th anniversary of IDEA, with the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act. Over 8.3 million children, or 15% of elementary and secondary school students,

are designated as students with disabilities. Despite the existence of the federal law, as many parents of students with

disabilities will tell you, the fight to ensure that their children's unique needs are met,

whether it's through services and accommodations or a placement in a specialized private school,

is often acrimonious, heart-wrenching, and expensive. Deborah Tisler, founder of emergent

literacy and an educator with 30 years of

experience, joins a podcast today to talk about the obstacles that parents face, the hostile and litigious

due process regime, and why the law has not been reauthorized for over 20 years. But it's not all

bad news. We also discuss improvements that could better serve students and families, including

expanding education freedom programs that enable families to find and afford the best education

options for their child's needs without exhausting and costly law schools. Deborah Tisler, welcome to Freedom to Learn.

Thank you for having me.

We're going to delve into the details of IDEA, but let's start with your story first.

You taught in Fairfax County public schools for a long time, I think from 1997 to 2014. What did you teach?

So I taught a mix of things because I'm certified as a teacher in special education and general

education. So I taught at all levels from elementary school up through high school.

One of the content areas, that is my specialty is history.

So I was able to teach what was called self-contained classes or small group classes for children

...