OR Teachers Voice Concerns to U.S. Education Secretary
October 13, 2011
PORTLAND, Ore. - Oregon educators Wednesday night shared their concerns with the top man in the federal Department of Education. From "No Child Left Behind" to the proliferation of for-profit online and charter schools and the impact of state and federal budget cuts, the crowd had plenty to say to Education Secretary Arne Duncan at his "teacher town hall."
Duncan was invited to Portland as a keynote speaker for the Oregon Business Association. During his visit, he asked for time to talk with educators, to hear their views about how federal education policy and reforms are affecting them.
Suzanne Cohen, a seventh-grade math and science teacher in Portland, isn't convinced that federal regulations always are the best fit for Oregon classrooms.
"I think what's happening is we're seeing more and more federal policies that