Alan Munro, president of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union, said the minister was guilty of an "obstinate refusal to listen" to widespread concerns over the roll-out of a controversial new school curriculum.
He also accused Mr Russell of "unilateral interference" and "disrespect" for his role in the scrapping of a scheme to improve the professionalism of teachers.
The attack, at the 166th annual meeting of the EIS in Dundee, comes at a difficult time for the Education Secretary.
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