Secretary of Education Arne Duncan hoped to gain the goodwill of the nation's educators with an "Open Letter" to teachers. But as Diane Ravitch explains, many reacted with fury.
The first week in May was Teacher Appreciation Week. On May 2, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released an "open letter" to America's teachers, thanking them for their service and saying, in essence, "I hear you, I respect you, I understand your problems, I want to work with you." It should have been about as controversial as the president's annual Thanksgiving message, but in this case the letter backfired. Teachers reacted to the letter with outrage, as if it were addressed to the turkey community on Thanksgiving Day.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Obama's War on Schools
No one should be surprised. Behind the teachers' rage and skepticism is the fact that Duncan has time and again said that "bad" teachers cause low test scores,...
The first week in May was Teacher Appreciation Week. On May 2, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan released an "open letter" to America's teachers, thanking them for their service and saying, in essence, "I hear you, I respect you, I understand your problems, I want to work with you." It should have been about as controversial as the president's annual Thanksgiving message, but in this case the letter backfired. Teachers reacted to the letter with outrage, as if it were addressed to the turkey community on Thanksgiving Day.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Obama's War on Schools
No one should be surprised. Behind the teachers' rage and skepticism is the fact that Duncan has time and again said that "bad" teachers cause low test scores,...
- 5/11/2011
- by Diane Ravitch
- The Daily Beast
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