Education Week (5/4) publishes a response to Education Secretary Arne Duncan's open letter to US teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week by teacher Anthony Cody, who states Duncan's message is "confusing" because it states that "there is no acceptable dropout rate." Cody writes, "You are clearly aware of what has happened to school budgets in today's economy. What does it mean to say it is unacceptable for a single student to drop out, or for students with disabilities to fail, when the funds that support these students have been slashed to bits?" He continues in this vein to criticize ED for funding "programs that place poorly trained interns in urban classrooms, and [backing] legislation that circumvented a court decision that ruled such interns are not 'highly qualified'?" Cody accuses Duncan of a number of other contradictions, and concludes, "until these issues are resolved, I find it difficult to take seriously your proclamations of support and honor for the teachers of America."
Meanwhile, the Huffington Post (5/4, Resmovits) reports that online postings indicate that "some public school teachers don't feel the love from their employer, the federal government." Upon reading Duncan's letter, "many teachers weren't moved. 'If you truly hear us, you'll recognize the fact that we are not opposed to honing our craft in ways that foster student learning for all students,' one educator, who identified herself as 'Tracie,' wrote in the comments below the letter."
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