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Monday, October 22, 2012

Big Education Ape - Morning Wink 10-22-12 AM Posts #SOSCHAT #EDCHAT #P2



BIG EDUCATION APE - MORNING WINK  AM POSTS


Presidential Debate @ Lynn University Tip Sheet #lynndebate Debate 2012 at Lynn University

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 minutes ago
Debate 2012 at Lynn University: [image: Lynn University Tip Sheet] *Media Contact:* Laura Stephens, lstephens@lynn.edu, 561-237-7967 or 561-289-0159 (m) *Oct. 22, 2012* *Campus Events* *Day-long debate events planned on campus * *The campus will take on a red, white and blue hue; Events not open to the public * *Oct. 22-23* To celebrate the final presidential debate at Lynn University, the campus has scheduled several media events. See the full list below. *Monday, Oct. 22* *10:30 a.m. – Student ticket holders, stand-ins and faculty experts available for interviwe* - Meet in Perp... more »

Face the Facts: Limited-English Students Test Public Schools | NewsTaco

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 minutes ago
Face the Facts: Limited-English Students Test Public Schools | NewsTaco: Face the Facts: Limited-English Students Test Public Schools by Victor Landa By Raisa Camargo, Voxxi Limited-English students are a growing part of America’s classrooms making it more diverse, but America’s teachers have some catching up to do. Limited-English students outnumbering teachers An estimated 10 percent of all public school students are English as a Second Language Learners (ESL), meaning they have limited English proficiency. But less than one percent of public school teachers are ESL instructors, ac... more »

A teacher weighs his role in fueling a closure policy he detests | GothamSchools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 28 minutes ago
A teacher weighs his role in fueling a closure policy he detests | GothamSchools: A teacher weighs his role in fueling a closure policy he detests by Philissa Cramer Mayor Bloomberg announces the city's new schools in April. Often, educators who help start new schools occupy classrooms vacated as another school closes. It’s a dilemma that thousands of city educators have faced in the last decade: Should they work in a new school, knowing that its existence was made possible by another school’s closure? When high school social studies teacher (and teachers union activist) Stephen La... more »

The Second Year - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 29 minutes ago
The Second Year - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher: The Second Year by Nancy Flanagan Every now and then, someone plants a useful insight in your brain, a bit of truth with great utility, something you can use as a lens for multiple questions. Last week, gathered with a group of IDEA organizers launching a new round of projects and initiatives, Arnie Langberg played a role you almost never find in education reform these days: wise elder. Langberg, most frequently associated with the free school movement, has done many things in his life as an educator, including... more »

Ed Notes Online: Teachers Unite: Undemocratic System of Mayoral Control Hurts NYC Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 41 minutes ago
Ed Notes Online: Teachers Unite: Undemocratic System of Mayoral Control Hurts NYC Schools: Teachers Unite: Undemocratic System of Mayoral Control Hurts NYC Schools by ed notes online *My suggestion is radical: put the choice of principal at the school level. They serve at the pleasure of the parents and teachers. In parts of Europe they actually elect their principals. That actually was a plank in the early history of the UFT some people tell me. *--- Norm at Ed Notes. I love to quote myself. Great work from Sally Lee and the crew at Teachers Unite. I am proud to have been on the... more »

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Goldman Sachs exec exposes rip-off of Teacher Retirement Fund

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 45 minutes ago
Schooling in the Ownership Society: Goldman Sachs exec exposes rip-off of Teacher Retirement Fund: Goldman Sachs exec exposes rip-off of Teacher Retirement Fund by Mike Klonsky Wall St. (N.Y. Times)Greg Smith's book, "Why I Left Goldman Sachs," is being released Monday. It's a window into the culture of Wall Street and a company that routinely ripped-off clients, including teacher retirement funds. Smith was so disgusted with his firm, Goldman Sachs, that he quit via an open letter in the New York Times in which he says: *"It makes me ill how callously people talk about ripping th... more »

Modern School: LAUSD Lays Down Hammer on Evaluations

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Modern School: LAUSD Lays Down Hammer on Evaluations: LAUSD Lays Down Hammer on Evaluations by Michael Dunn Image from Flickr by r8r Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has filed a declaration of impasse, according to the Daily News, after failed negotiations with United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) over a new teacher evaluation system based on student test scores. LAUSD is under court order to revise its evaluation system by December 4. However, Superior Court Judge James Chalfant has mandated that the district negotiate with the union over the new system. UTLA President... more »

Likely Romney Policy on DREAMers is Causing Trouble Already « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 49 minutes ago
Likely Romney Policy on DREAMers is Causing Trouble Already « Student Activism: Likely Romney Policy on DREAMers is Causing Trouble Already by Angus Johnston Many undocumented immigrants eligible for a reprieve from deportation under the Obama administration’s DREAM Act-inspired policy shift are choosing not to apply because of fears of their applications being used against them if Mitt Romney wins the presidency. In June President Obama announced that he would be establishing a process by which those young people who would be eligible for permanent residency and eventual citizens... more »

TheDartmouth.com: Lewis leads Chicago Teachers Union

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 51 minutes ago
TheDartmouth.com: Lewis leads Chicago Teachers Union: Lewis leads Chicago Teachers Union [image: Chicago Teachers’ Union President Karen Lewis ’74 has been at the center of recent education reform battles, leading the recent Chicago teachers’ strike.] Chicago Teachers’ Union President Karen Lewis ’74 has been at the center of recent education reform battles, leading the recent Chicago teachers’ strike. COURTESY OF CHICAGO MAGAZINE By Ashley Ulrich, The Dartmouth Staff Published on Monday, October 22, 2012 - Print - Report an Error - Share Former Chicago public school chemi... more »

Education reform leader backs plan to appoint Bridgeport Board of Ed - Connecticut Post

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 55 minutes ago
Education reform leader backs plan to appoint Bridgeport Board of Ed - Connecticut Post: Education reform leader backs plan to appoint Bridgeport Board of EdBill CummingsUpdated 11:26 p.m., Sunday, October 21, 2012 *Ed Reform's Corporate Cash Kids* BRIDGEPORT -- A national leader in education reform Sunday offered his support for the city's plan to replace the elected Board of Education with a new board appointed by the mayor. "This is not about giving up your vote," said Sacramento, Calif., Mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA All-Star and chairman of U.S Conference of Mayors Educat... more »

Letter-writing campaign shows frustration with Obama education policies – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Letter-writing campaign shows frustration with Obama education policies – Schools of Thought - CNN.com Blogs: Letter-writing campaign shows frustration with Obama education policies by *Donna Krache,* CNN *(CNN)* Earlier this month, Education Secretary Arne Duncan delivered his state of education speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., which was part self-review of his department’s goals and achievements and part campaign speech for his boss, President Obama. But not all educators are ardent supporters of the president’s policies, and they are letting him know. At ab... more »

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-22-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Just Another Nonsensical Policy in Florida by dianerav A reader responded to an earlier post about Florida’s decision to set different academic goals for children of different races: “As a Florida teacher since 1997, I have watched our state board enact bone-headed policies that make no sense, but of all of them, the race-based variable learning goals has to be most useless and inane, not to mention anti-education and unworkable. There are so many questions about the way these standards will be applied I wo... more »

Where Parent Revolution Lost Me :: Frederick M. Hess

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Where Parent Revolution Lost Me :: Frederick M. Hess: Where Parent Revolution Lost Me *by Frederick M. Hess • Oct 22, 2012 at 6:23 am Cross-posted from Education Week* Hidy all, I'm back. Want to thank Heather, Bill, and Sarah for some terrific posts. We're about to head into heavy pre-election mode, but there was one particular development while I was gone that I feel compelled to address. I've been skeptical but sympathetic on the parent trigger. But the parent trigger crowd pretty much lost me when Parent Revolution's National Communications Director David Phelps sent out a cr... more »

College Board: Rise in students in AP classes accompanied by rise in performance | Get Schooled

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
College Board: Rise in students in AP classes accompanied by rise in performance | Get Schooled: College Board: Rise in students in AP classes accompanied by rise in performance by Maureen Downey Earlier this month, I linked to a* controversial essay in the Atlantic by a former college professor and high school teacher* criticizing Advanced Placement courses. I introduced the issue by noting that there’s a push under way in Georgia to get more high schools students into AP classes. There is also a debate over whether students fare better taking AP classes at their high schools o... more »

How Teach For America became powerful

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
How Teach For America became powerful: How Teach For America became powerful Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 22, 2012 at 4:00 am - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - Share: - - - More » Teach For America is a big part of the school reform world yet many people don’t understand how it came to become the “next big thing” in U.S. education. Here is an excerpt from a book called “Excellence For All: How a New Breed of Reformers Is Transforming America’s Public Schools,” by Jack Schneider. This part of the book explai... more »

Daily Kos: The Campaign for our Public Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Daily Kos: The Campaign for our Public Schools: The Campaign for our Public Schools by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) consists of 378 Letters to President Obama From educators, parents, students and citizens. It was organized and promoted by Diane Ravitch with the assistance of Anthony Cody (who coordinated the Save Our Schools March and National Call to Action in 2011, having previously organized a national Teachers Letters to President Obama effort). It begins with a letter by Ravitch, from which I quote the following: Public school educators are demoralized these days. Many wo... more »

Louisiana Educator: Can VAM be Fixed?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Louisiana Educator: Can VAM be Fixed?: Can VAM be Fixed? by Michael Deshotels Superintendent John White believes he has a solution to the problem of teachers in top rated schools receiving an “ineffective” because of the VAM portion of the new teacher evaluation system. It was discovered recently that some high performing students in exclusive magnet schools sometimes experience a lull or slowdown in their academic gains caused by factors outside the control of the teacher. Even though such students are normally high performers, in some cases a classroom of high performers may per... more »

FUSE’s silence on Initiative 1240 is deafening | Seattle Education

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
FUSE’s silence on Initiative 1240 is deafening | Seattle Education: FUSE’s silence on Initiative 1240 is deafening by seattleducation2011 FUSE, an organization that describes itself as *“the state’s largest progressive organization – people creating change online, on the ground, and on issues that matter”,* has gone silent on Initiative 1240. According to their website: “Fuse is bringing Washington residents together to support progressive causes and leaders. We envision a world where people power our government and the common good drives our public policy. Our mission is to build a... more »

Where are Obama and Romney on the Dropout Crisis and School Funding? | Education on GOOD

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 hour ago
Where are Obama and Romney on the Dropout Crisis and School Funding? | Education on GOOD: Where are Obama and Romney on the Dropout Crisis and School Funding? [image: studying.student] When it comes to education, neither President Obama's nor Governor Romney's campaign has started a real dialogue about the failure of America's K-12 schools—or the grassroots initiatives working to combat the crisis. However, a recent panel at the University of Southern California, "No Policy Left Behind? K-12 Education in the 2012 Campaign," tackled two of the biggest issues the candidates should be... more »

Signs of hope on the road to doom | Jerry Large | The Seattle Times

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 10 hours ago
Signs of hope on the road to doom | Jerry Large | The Seattle Times: Signs of hope on the road to doom Policy-driven by data and results could overcome the usual politics. *Jerry Large* *Seattle Times staff columnist* A lot of problems that seem unending do have solutions. You may not hear about them in a political debate, but they exist. Washington state is brimming with ideas that could make the future better than the present. No, I'm not on happy drugs. If anything, I'm probably more likely than you to think we're speeding down the highway toward doom. Living immersed in the news... more »

Diane in the Evening 10-21-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 12 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Thomas Friedman Needs Your Help by dianerav I am assuming Thomas Friedman knows a lot about foreign affairs, which is what he mostly writes about. He certainly knows very little about America’s public schools. I wonder when was the last time he stepped into a school or talked to a real teacher. My guess: it has been many years. Maybe he went to a public school. His article in Sunday’s New York Times demonstrates that he is not only out of touch, but woefully misinformed. Everything he knows about Race to the Top he learned not by any research or school visit... more »

NYC Public School Parents: Parents, do you know where your child's data is? My interesting but not reassuring afternoon with the Gates Foundation's Shared Learning Collaborative

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 13 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: Parents, do you know where your child's data is? My interesting but not reassuring afternoon with the Gates Foundation's Shared Learning Collaborative: Parents, do you know where your child's data is? My interesting but not reassuring afternoon with the Gates Foundation's Shared Learning Collaborative by Leonie Haimson Yesterday, I spent several hours at the Shared Learning Collaborative “camp” held in midtown, where the Gates Foundation people invited teachers and developers to brainstorm new “learning apps” to take advantage of all the confidential st... more »

Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 14 hours ago
Engaging Parents In School… » This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter: This Week’s #PTchat On Twitter by Larry Ferlazzo Guest post by Joe Mazza Image credit: http://www.educationfuture.infoThis Wednesday night at 9PM EDT/6PM PST, we’ll be talking politics and the future of U.S. Education on #PTchat (Parent-Teacher Chat). Nikhil Goyal (@nikhilgoya_l), a 17 year-old student and author of One Size Does Not Fit All: A Student’s Assessment of School will answer questions and offer ideas during our chat according to his lens as a student attending today’s schools. During the chat, we’ll discuss ... more »

Short Notes: Inspire The Next, Recognize The Present | The Jose Vilson

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Short Notes: Inspire The Next, Recognize The Present | The Jose Vilson: Short Notes: Inspire The Next, Recognize The Present by Jose Malala Yousafzai A few notes: - Relando Thompkins interviews a few of us for his People Who Inspire Me series. Read our dialogue. [Relando Thompkins] - Facing History wants you to nominate teachers who’ve inspired you to speak out against injustice. More details here. [GOOD Magazine] - NYC Educator demonstrates the value of a New York (presidential) vote. We can be honest, right? [NYC Educator]

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools This Week: Seattle Schools This Week by Melissa Westbrook [image: No on 1240 (click on picture)] *Tuesday, October 22nd* Road Map to College : College Application Event from 2:30-8:00 p.m. at Franklin High School *Wednesday, October 23rd* Public Comment on SPS Levies - BEX IV and Operations from 4-5 p.m. at JSCEE This is a legally mandated public hearing the district must have for all levies. Unfortunately, they don't say how long the speaking period is but I suspect it is about 2 minutes. I recall that President DeBell said they ... more »

California Teacher, Finland Bound « InterACT

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
California Teacher, Finland Bound « InterACT: California Teacher, Finland Bound by ACT Guest Blog Posts [image: orphal]Dave Orphal *InterACT guest blog post by Dave Orphal**Dave Orphal teaches high school social studies in Oakland, CA. In addition to being a member of Accomplished California Teachers, he is also active in two projects of the Center for Teaching Quality (Teacher Leaders Network, Bay Area New Millennium Initiative) and a project of the the Institute for Teaching, an initiative of the California Teachers Association. This blog post was originally published on Trans... more »

The Brookfield Shooting Is the Latest Battle in the War on Women « Student Activism

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 15 hours ago
The Brookfield Shooting Is the Latest Battle in the War on Women « Student Activism: The Brookfield Shooting Is the Latest Battle in the War on Women by Angus Johnston *“Now it’s a war on women? Tomorrow it’s going to be a war on left-handed Irishmen or something.”* *—Paul Ryan, three days ago.* *“But gosh, to tell our kids that before they have babies, they ought to think about getting married to someone — that’s a great idea… We can make changes in the way our culture works to help bring people away from violence.”* *—Mitt Romney, five days ago.* • • • The alleg... more »

Daily Kos: 348 or 359

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Daily Kos: 348 or 359: 348 or 359 by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) No, I am not ready call the electoral college just yet. But my gut is talking to me. I am watching what is happening with early voting. I am looking at advertising in Omaha intended for IA but also having an impact in NE-02. And I am starting to think that Obama will sweep all of the battleground states, some perhaps very narrowly, and the2nd CD of NE. That would get him to 348. So why 35(? B/c I think there is a real chance that there is a swelling of Hispanic vote that is not showing up in most of the poll... more »

Letter of Endorsement of the NYC Field Test BoycottSave Our Schools

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 16 hours ago
Letter of Endorsement of the NYC Field Test BoycottSave Our Schools: Letter of Endorsement of the NYC Field Test Boycott by Server *Save Our Schools: A National Call to Action* www.saveourschoolsmarch.org Letter of Endorsement of the NYC Field Test Boycott*Dear Save Our Schools Supporters…* We wish to offer an opportunity to express your support for *The Letter of Endorsement of the NYC Field Test Boycott* We the undersigned, education researchers and scholars from across the United States and abroad, support the New York City families in their decision to boycott the field test fro... more »

This Week In Education: Weekend Reading: Scary Stories From Weekly Mags & Sites

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
This Week In Education: Weekend Reading: Scary Stories From Weekly Mags & Sites: Weekend Reading: Scary Stories From Weekly Mags & Sites [image: ScreenHunter_09 Oct. 24 10.02]Will GA voters create a $430 million charter-school commission? ow.ly/eDdzg TAP @RaRapoport Governor Patrick on Massachusetts Top Spot in Education (Audio) @ BloombergEDU bit.ly/RMYoTT How the national media "maligned" the Chicago teachers strike In These Times ow.ly/eDcGq A sad attack on Advanced Placement: Nearly all of us are experts about something... bit.ly/ScJQhb Can an Online [Teaching] Degree Really...more »

Direct Democracy, for Billionaires

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
Direct Democracy, for Billionaires: [image: save image] Direct Democracy, for Billionaires DAVID CALLAHAN OCTOBER 17, 2012 In a classic case of unintended consequences, these mechanisms for popular power are routinely used by the rich to change state laws. 23InstapaperShare on readitlaterPocketShare on emailEmailShare on printPrint Over a century ago, progressive reformers were deeply worried about how wealthy interests had hijacked American politics populating state legislatures with cronies who did as they were told and otherwise steamrolled the will of the people. To level the pl... more »

21st century education: Flaws, fixes, further thoughts [SAIS/MISBO NOTES] | Dangerously Irrelevant

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
21st century education: Flaws, fixes, further thoughts [SAIS/MISBO NOTES] | Dangerously Irrelevant: 21st century education: Flaws, fixes, further thoughts [SAIS/MISBO NOTES] by dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com (Scott McLeod) [image: SAISlogo] [Warning: long post] I’m at the SAIS/MISBO conference in Atlanta, Georgia. My keynote and workshops aren’t until tomorrow so today I’m just a learner. Right now I’m sitting in a session titled *21st century education: Flaws, fixes, further thoughts*, facilitated by Matt Gossage and David Streight. David is the director of the Center for Spiritual and ... more »

The Battle for Public Schools: Action for the Week of 10/21/2012 | United Opt Out National

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 17 hours ago
The Battle for Public Schools: Action for the Week of 10/21/2012 | United Opt Out National: The Battle for Public Schools: Action for the Week of 10/21/2012 by admin We are headed back to D.C. this spring. We will not be silenced. If you were unable to attend last year, be sure to check out last year’s videos and schedule. Join us in the front yard of the Dept. of Ed. in D.C. to learn from educational activists across the country as they share what they have accomplished in their fight to end corporate education reform. We will have a full schedule available soon. Mark your calend... more »

Daily Kos: IA-04: two major endorsements for Christie Vilsack

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
Daily Kos: IA-04: two major endorsements for Christie Vilsack: IA-04: two major endorsements for Christie Vilsack by rss@dailykos.com (teacherken) First, the Des Moines Register, which begins its endorsement by dissing her opponent: Every time the Register’s editorial board meets with Rep. Steve King, we are reminded why we endorsed him a decade ago. He is articulate, personable and full of energy. Yet, about 15 minutes into the conversation, we are reminded of why we later withdrew that endorsement and why the Kiron Republican should not be representing Iowa in Congress. DesM... more »

NYC Educator: Teacher Union Prez Auditions for NY Post Editorial Board

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 18 hours ago
NYC Educator: Teacher Union Prez Auditions for NY Post Editorial Board: Teacher Union Prez Auditions for NY Post Editorial Board by NYC Educator Joseph Del Grosso, head of the Newark Teachers Union, is endorsing a new contract that entails merit pay, value-added measures, and which is "secretive about financial details," though we know it hinges on $100 mill in Facebook bucks, which we don't know to be renewable. Del Grosso is portrayed in the article as someone who's moved from a young firebrand to someone with a completely different position-- heroic by the writer's highly uninfo... more »

The Wisdom and Legacy of George McGovern, Who Told America to Come Home | The Dissenter

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
The Wisdom and Legacy of George McGovern, Who Told America to Come Home | The Dissenter: The Wisdom and Legacy of George McGovern, Who Told America to Come Home by Kevin Gosztola Screen shot from "Democracy Now!" special on McGovern nearing death There is nothing I remember about the late Senator George McGovern, who just passed away at the age 0f 90. I was not alive when he made his historic run for president in 1972, energizing the antiwar movement and other Americans with hope. Nor was I alive in 1968 or 1984 when he also ran for president. And I did not ever get to vote for this... more »

Don’t demonize teachers because of pension system’s faults | toteachornototeach

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
Don’t demonize teachers because of pension system’s faults | toteachornototeach: Don’t demonize teachers because of pension system’s faults by aristotlethewise *Don’t demonize teachers because of pension system’s faults* ** By Steve Lopez *Yes, public pensions got out of hand. But teachers aren’t the biggest culprits, nor are they why California has some of the nation’s most shamefully underfunded schools.* Just as I was preparing to defend public school teachers and their retirement benefits, I got a form letter last week from my employer’s vice president for human resources. Appar... more »

NYC Public School Parents: "Won't Back Down" a "loss leader" for the privateers?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 19 hours ago
NYC Public School Parents: "Won't Back Down" a "loss leader" for the privateers?: "Won't Back Down" a "loss leader" for the privateers? by Leonie Haimson See Diane Ravitch’s blog today about the fact that the anti-teacher, anti-public school film “Won’t Back Down” continues to tank. The movie premiered Sept. 28, and had the worst opening of any film in thirty years opening “wide” (2500 screens), despite shameless promotion by CBS (remember their “Teachers Rock”concert show which featured the film?) and NBC’s Education Nation. "Won't Back Down" revenues after 21 daysYet on Thursda... more »

Ex-Marine turned teacher: ‘Stop demonizing me and my profession’

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Ex-Marine turned teacher: ‘Stop demonizing me and my profession’: Ex-Marine turned teacher: ‘Stop demonizing me and my profession’ Posted by Valerie Strauss on October 21, 2012 at 2:15 pm - [image: Smaller Text] [image: Larger Text] Text Size - Print - Reprints - - - - Matthew Swope has been teaching physics for 10 years and before entering the teaching profession, was a Marine and a police officer. The following piece by Swope was first published on Diane Ravitch’s blog. It is both moving and important. By Matthew Swope I am a teacher. Year 10. High scho... more »

Reflection on Chicago’s Amplified School Segregation | The Classroom Sooth

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Reflection on Chicago’s Amplified School Segregation | The Classroom Sooth: Reflection on Chicago’s Amplified School Segregation by classroomsooth *David is a teacher-organizer on the south side of Chicago. He is a member of the Caucus of Rank-and File Educators (CORE) and I met him in 2009 fighting against school actions that destabilize students’ teaching and learning conditions and ultimately lead to neighborhood gentrification.* *Recently Steve Bogira (@stevebogira) wrote an article comparing the educational conditions of two students in Cook County, IL. Hayley is a student a... more »

On Probation or Off Parole? You can Vote in California – Register Now! Here!

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
On Probation or Off Parole? You can Vote in California – Register Now! Here!: On Probation or Off Parole? You can Vote in California – Register Now! Here! by PATTY JONES on OCTOBER 21, 2012 · 0 COMMENTS in CALIFORNIA, CIVIL RIGHTS, ELECTION, POLITICS, SAN DIEGO [image: Secretary of State - Register to Vote] Click on this image to register now! While having a conversation about the upcoming Presidential debate I asked a coworker if he was going to be voting. He replied, “I wish I could, but I’m on probation.” Whoa… This was a moment in a busy shop, that is normally filled with Mitt Ro... more »

Jersey Jazzman: The MASSIVE Failure of Jonah Edelman

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 20 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: The MASSIVE Failure of Jonah Edelman: The MASSIVE Failure of Jonah Edelman by Duke I just can't let this go without comment: Less than two months into a new school year, *teacher strikes have popped up in Chicago and four suburbs — with a handful of potential walkouts on the horizon — despite a new state law that was expected to make it harder for work stoppages to occur.* Similar themes have surfaced in each district — the latest during last week's one-day strike in Highland Park's North Shore School District 112 — but officials on both sides agree that often, t... more »

Jersey Jazzman: TFA Is a POLITICAL Organization

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: TFA Is a POLITICAL Organization: TFA Is a POLITICAL Organization by Duke Leonie Haimson points us to a paper by the reformy Alex Russo, edited by the reformy Fredrick Hess, and published by the reformy American Enterprise Institute. That's a whole lotta reformy. For edunerds, Russo's paper is actually very interesting: it chronicles the political rise of Teach For America, the "training" program for teachers. It seems that Wendy Kopp's merry band wasn't always the darling of the Beltway; according to Russo, TFA was ill-prepared to lobby Washington when it first ... more »

Diane in the AFTERNOON Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: Florida’s Race-Based Academic Goals by dianerav Florida, in its wisdom or lack thereof, has adopted different standards for different racial groups. Quite frankly, this is abhorrent. Every child is a child, period. We should look at each one as an individual, not as a racial representative. This is NCLB thinking squared, cubed, and absurdist. It is racist, it is insulting. It should stop. Now. The Upside of the Florida VAM Disaster by dianerav A reader called my attention to this comment by an anonymous teacher in Florida. It appears following an article in the... more »

America’s Best (and Worst) Educated States - 24/7 Wall St.

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
America’s Best (and Worst) Educated States - 24/7 Wall St.: America’s Best (and Worst) Educated States Posted: October 15, 2012 at 2:31 pm PrintEmail inShare6 The number of Americans with college degrees has increased steadily in the last decade. According to the latest government data, 28.5% of U.S. residents 25 or older had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2011, up only slightly from 27.2% in 2005. While the number is relatively unchanged, there are substantial differences across the country. In West Virginia, the state with the lowest graduation rate, 18.5% of adults have at leas... more »

What Makes the Difference Today - Woodbridge, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 22 hours ago
What Makes the Difference Today - Woodbridge, VA, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post - A Professional Networking Community for Educators: Looking Ahead What Makes the Difference Today I have spent the last few days in Nassau, Bahamas celebrating the approval of Bahamas ASCD application to become an ASCD affiliate. It was just a year ago I came to attend their inaugural conference as an ASCD Connected Community, their first step in becoming an affiliate. I remember being impressed with how well planned and coordinated that first conference was…how committed the leadership was to bu... more »

Daily Kos: The Polonius Chronicles: The Invisible Hand and the King Imperative

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Daily Kos: The Polonius Chronicles: The Invisible Hand and the King Imperative: The Polonius Chronicles: The Invisible Hand and the King Imperative byplthomasEdDFollow 3 PERMALINK1 COMMENTS / 1 NEW *Rust Limbo (a pseudonym to protect the innocent)* ** * * * * *Prologue* Like Jane Goodall among the chimpanzees, I ventured briefly into the role of anthropologist several years ago, listening most days for extended periods of time to a national radio show host to gather the necessary evidence needed to identify the patterns of his narratives. Unlike Goodall, I was fortunate that my a... more »

The Education Report: Wealthy donors donate big money in Oakland school board races - Inside Bay Area

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Education Report: Wealthy donors donate big money in Oakland school board races - Inside Bay Area: The Education Report: Wealthy donors donate big money in Oakland school board races By Katy Murphy Oakland Tribune Posted: 10/21/2012 12:00:00 AM PDT This is a sampling of The Education Report, Katy Murphy's Oakland schools blog. Read more atwww.IBAbuzz.com/education. Follow her at Twitter.com/KatyMurphy. Oct. 18: As we reported today, this Oakland school board election is a departure from past cycles -- and not just because every race is contested. The Oakland Education Associat... more »

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: DON’T DEMONIZE TEACHERS BECAUSE OF PENSION SYSTEM’S FAULTS

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: DON’T DEMONIZE TEACHERS BECAUSE OF PENSION SYSTEM’S FAULTS: DON’T DEMONIZE TEACHERS BECAUSE OF PENSION SYSTEM’S FAULTS Yes, public pensions got out of hand. But teachers aren't the biggest culprits, nor are they why California has some of the nation's most shamefully underfunded schools. [image: Steve Lopez] BY STEVE LOPEZ, LA TIMES COLUMNIST | HTTP://LAT.MS/UNRG0M October 21, 2012 :: Just as I was preparing to defend public school teachers and their retirement benefits, I got a form letter last week from my employer's vice president... more »

The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
The Sunday Mail. « Fred Klonsky: The Sunday Mail. by Fred Klonsky http://player.vimeo.com/video/51757083?autoplay=1*IEA’s Vimeo on the Constitutional Amendment.* *Jesse Turner, The Walking Man,* wants me to join his cause: Saving the Native American burial site near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. *A reminder that John Dillon, Glen Brown, and I will be speaking at Plymouth Place,* LaGrange Park (315 N. LaGrange Rd.) on Wednesday (October 24) at 7pm. Topics will include the constitutionality of pension “reform,” HJRCA 49, revenue and pension debt reform… This is also an opportunity for... more »

Jersey Jazzman: Test Scores and the Newark Teachers Contract

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Jersey Jazzman: Test Scores and the Newark Teachers Contract: Test Scores and the Newark Teachers Contract by Duke It's a fact: *test scores will be used to determine who gets merit pay bonuses in the proposed Newark teachers contract*. From the new TEACHNJ Act, which sets out criteria for teacher evaluations: *Standardized assessments shall be used as a measure of student progress but shall not be the predominant factor in the overall evaluation of a teacher.* As I've said here many times, it doesn't matter if tests are the "predominant factor" or not when used to make a high-s... more »

Looking Back on 3 Bad New Principal Assumptions | Connected Principals

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 23 hours ago
Looking Back on 3 Bad New Principal Assumptions | Connected Principals: Looking Back on 3 Bad New Principal Assumptions by Joe Mazza Image Credit: http://upfront.ngsgenealogy.org A little over 5 years ago, I arrived at Knapp Elementary School as a brand new 29 year-old principal. The leader I replaced was very active in the community and had spent much of his career at the school. There was a certain culture that I was entering, and understanding and adapting to this was my first task as principal. Reflecting back, I can now see some glaring blindspots I missed during those first ... more »

George McGovern: An American Hero - Wait, What?

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
George McGovern: An American Hero - Wait, What?: George McGovern: An American Hero by jonpelto In 1972, I had the honor of meeting George McGovern when he flew into Bradley Airport to speak at a nearby hotel ballroom. That year, at the age of eleven, I spent hundreds of hours making persuasion, ID and GOTV phone calls at the Mansfield Democratic Headquarters. I still remember some of the mean comments that were made when someone heard my childlike voice. That November, I stayed up late on election night, watching CBS News and thinking that somehow California and the West Coast w... more »

George McGovern C-SPAN The Contenders

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
C-SPAN The Contenders: George McGovern Born: July 19, 1922 "The Establishment center... has led us into the stupidest and cruelest war in all history. That war is a moral and political disaster - a terrible cancer eating away at the soul of our nation." *1957 – 1961:* Member of the U.S. House of Representatives *1963 – 1981:* U. S. Senator from South Dakota *1972:* U.S. Presidential Candidate *1981:* Founded Americans for Common Sense (PAC) *1981-1982:* Professor at the University of New Orleans *1984:* Aimed to get the Democratic Presidential nomination (did not receive the nominatio... more »

Morning UPDATE: LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 10-21-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

coopmike48 at Big Education Ape - 1 day ago
Diane Ravitch's blog: [image: Click on picture to Listen to Diane Ravitch] Why Won’t the Reformers Let Us Teach? by dianerav An English teacher in Rhode Island writes: *I’m a great teacher. I’m waiting for the opportunity, at the ripe old age of 49, to switch careers. My heart is broken. I am deluged with PLC’s, SLO’s, dog and pony lesson plans that go nowhere, and impossible observations that require me to make my students lie through their teeth. I’m tired of the “idiocracy” that states things like “the SAT is an achievement test” and that “all children can learn” without provid... more »









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Presidential Debate @ Lynn University Tip Sheet #lynndebate Debate 2012 at Lynn University

Debate 2012 at Lynn University:

Lynn University Tip Sheet
 
Media Contact: Laura Stephens, lstephens@lynn.edu561-237-7967 or 561-289-0159 (m)
Oct. 22, 2012
Campus Events
Day-long debate events planned on campus
The campus will take on a red, white and blue hue; Events not open to the public
Oct. 22-23
To celebrate the final presidential debate at Lynn University, the campus has scheduled several media events. See the full list below.
Monday, Oct. 22
10:30 a.m. – Student ticket holders, stand-ins and faculty experts available for interviwe
  • Meet in Perper Plaza (ask a volunteer for directions if needed).
  • Several of Lynn’s faculty and student experts, including ticket holders and stand-ins, will be available for media interviews at this time. See our complete list of faculty experts onhttp://debate2012.lynn.edu under “Media Kit.” Student experts (both international and domestic) will be available discuss topics including politics, the election and social media.
11 a.m. – Google Hangout #3, International Students
  • Lynn Vice President for Enrollment Management speaks with international students about differences or similarities in democracy and politics in their home countries and the United States and how #lynndebate  has affected their view of the American political system. Visit Lynn’s Google+ page to RSVP for the hangout and watch it live.
11:30 a.m. – Outside the fence campus tour
  • Meet in Perper Plaza (ask a volunteer for directions if needed).
  • This will be an opportunity to learn more about the campus’s buildings, school history and plans for growth. The tour will provide reporters with background information about the school as well as answer questions related to the school’s history, student body or other aspects of campus life at Lynn. Tour stops will include the soccer field where Lynn’s “Red, White and View” debate viewing party will take place and Lynn's social media lounge.
1 p.m. - Google Hangout #4, Social Media and the Election
  • Daniel Sieberg from Google joins Lynn students covering the debate with social media to discuss the impact of social media during this election cycle. Visit Lynn’s Google+ page toRSVP for the hangout and watch it live.
12 - 5 p.m. - Red, White and Pool Party
  • The Lynn University pool.
  • Students will gather for a pool party with a live band, The Resolvers, water orbs on Trinity Lake, tropical drinks, free food and giveaways.
12 - 5 p.m. - Red, White and Point of View: The Causeway
  • East of the Lynn University pool.
  • There will be a causeway where university groups and local community organizations can display information about their causes. Groups include: Lynn University College Democrats, Lynn University College Republicans, Lynn University Debate Team, C-SPAN, AARP and others.
5 p.m. - 12 a.m. - Red, White and View: Debate Viewing Party
  • Lynn University soccer field.
  • The students not lucky enough to score a ticket for tonight's debate, will gather on the soccer field – just steps away from the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center where the presidential candidates will debate a variety of topics related to foreign policy. The evening will feature live entertainment, gourmet food trucks, giant outdoor screens for viewing the debate and an exclusive South Florida style "Knight Club." AARP is the title sponsor of the viewing extravaganza.
Tuesday, Oct. 23
10:30 a.m. - Press conference with President Ross (the 6:30 a.m. briefing is cancelled)
  • Meet in front of the flags adjacent to Military Trail.
  • Lynn University president, Kevin M. Ross, will provide a recap of the debate day and night events at Lynn at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23—the morning after the final presidential debate. The press conference will happen in front of Lynn’s famous flags near the Military Trail entrance to campus.

Lynn Facts
Hosting a debate is a big project, but how big? The debate by the numbers.
Everyone agrees that holding a debate is a massive undertaking. But just how massive, the following are some numbers that help tell that part of the story.
  • How many tables: 1,209
  • How many chairs: 1,567
  • How many tablecloths: 868
  • How many workstations in the media room: 600+
  • How many TV screens: 42 in the media filing center
  • How many miles of telephone lines: 1,300 lines
  • How many feet/miles of cables: 70 miles
  • How many buntings / flags in media room and spin alley: 90
  • Cost of hosting the debate: $4.9 million
For additional information, please contact the media relations office at 561-237-7967 to coordinate an interview.
The five things you may not know about Lynn University
  1. At 50 years old, we’re the youngest university to host a presidential debate.
  2. Lynn University is across the street from where IBM invented the first PC. Lynn students even helped IBM test their prototype keyboards.
  3. Lynn had seven freshwater lakes, but filled one as part of our hosting of the debate. We now call it ―Lost Lake Slutsky in honor of the Marty Slutsky, producer of the debate.
  4. We are home to a world-class Conservatory of Music, one of only 12 in the country that attracts some of the most gifted young musicians in the world.
  5. The school started as a Catholic school for girls—part of the Marymount system.
For more information, please contact the media relations office at 561-237-7967.

Additional Stories
Social Media Lounge
Lynn ranks as one of the top 50 social media colleges in the nation
Oct. 20-23
Given the importance of social media to the 2012 election and Lynn’s dedication to the medium as a top social media college, the university will have a Social Media Lounge for students, staff and faculty to share stories throughout debate weekend.The Lounge, which will help promote Lynn’s social platforms including TumblrFacebookYouTubeTwitterfoursquareInstagramFlickrGoogle+ andblogs.lynn.edu, is open throughout debate weekend and will close Tuesday, Oct. 23. The lounge is centrally located in the current Center for Learning Abroad Office in the lobby of Lynn’s Student Center. Please ask a volunteer to show you to the Lounge.
For more information, please contact the media relations office at 561-237-7967.
Photos and videos for student stand-ins available for download
Lynn students were stand-ins for Obama, Romney and Schieffer
Yesterday, three Lynn University students: Eric Gooden (as Barack Obama), A.J. Mercincavage (as Mitt Romney) and Andrew Lippi (as Bob Schieffer), were stand-ins on the debate set for the national networks to test sound and lighting. The students were chosen based primarily on physical similarities (height and skin coloring) to the candidates and the moderator.
Sharing videos and images
Media can download high resolution photos of the student stand-ins at http://debate2012.lynn.edu/photos. Video from the stand-ins are also available for download via Lynn’s online media kit (http://debate2012.lynn.edu/media-kit/). Scroll down to “Multimedia Assets” and click on “Student Stand-ins.”
More on the stand-ins
  • Eric Gooden (Obama stand-in) – Gooden is a 24-year-old junior majoring in criminal justice at Lynn University. He serves as the Vice President of the College Democrats.
  • A.J. Mercincavage (Romney stand-in) – Mercincavage is a 23-year-old senior majoring in multimedia journalism at Lynn University. He serves as a resident assistant and is a blogger for the university.
  • Andrew Lippi (Scheiffer stand-in) – Lippi is a 22-year-old junior majoring in American studies at Lynn University. He works in the university’s Office of Admission.
For more information, please contact the media relations office at 561-237-7967.
Lynn University produces special coin to be flipped for presidential debate
Knowing that the flipping of coins and drawing of straws are important parts of hosting a presidential debate, Lynn University decided to produce a special coin just for the event. Only 250 of these unique coins were minted. Images are available at http://debate2012.lynn.edu/photos. For more information, please contact the media relations office at 561-237-7967.
Which tie to wear? Presidential debates show clear trends in necktie preferences
Last debate at Hofstra did buck the trend though
Presidential debates are famous for their catch phrases and game changing moments, evidence Al Gore’s “lock box,” George H.W. Bush’s checking his watch and Ronald Reagan’s “There you go again.”
Candidate neckties have received much less focus, even though they have been worn 42 times since the period of regular debates began in 1976. Since then, several clear trends have emerged, especially during the more recent red state vs. blue state era.
Lynn University shows that red has become the necktie color of choice in recent years. In fact, since the Bush-Gore debates of 2000, red or predominantly red neckties have won out at the debates in something of a necktie landslide; red ties have outnumbered blue ties 15 to 7.
Ties worn during presidential debates:
  • Red ties: 15
  • Blue ties: 7
  • Green ties: 1
  • Bowties: 0
To be completely fair, not all of those red ties have been solid red. Some have been red with a slight pattern. And in 2008, both John McCain and Barack Obama wore red ties with white stripes: Obama in the second debate that year and McCain in the third.
Interestingly, Mitt Romney changed things up a bit in the last debate at Hofstra University on Oct. 16. He wore a blue tie with a pattern. Obama wore a red tie, keeping with the tradition. The combined effect was interesting since they ended up wearing a tie sporting the official color of the opposing party.
The information provided by Lynn does not include necktie colors from the infamous 1960 presidential debates, which were viewed throughout America on black and white television sets. Presidential debates did not take place in 1964, 1968 or 1972, but they resumed in 1976 with three debates between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Five of six ties worn that year were red or mostly red. Carter wore a blue tie with a pattern for the first debate.
With so many necktie colors to choose from, it’s striking that so few ties of other colors have ever been worn. Consider the case of the lowly green tie: the only candidate in modern times to wear a green tie during a presidential debate was Bob Dole, who wore it during his second debate with Bill Clinton in 1996.
And despite its popularity among some inside-the-Beltway types, one style of tie, the bowtie, has yet to make its first appearance on a candidate at a presidential debate. Insiders are betting that streak will likely continue in 2012.
For more information, please contact the media relations office at 561-237-7967.

Lynn University, site of the final 2012 presidential debate to be held on Oct. 22, 2012, is an independent, co-ed, residential university offering an innovative undergraduate and graduate curriculum built on individualized attention and an international focus. Founded in 1962, we’re an emerging higher education institution preparing to celebrate our 50th anniversary and hosting the final 2012 presidential debate is the perfect way to show the world what Lynn is all about. The university currently enrolls more than 2,000 students representing nearly all 50 U.S. states and more than 80 nations in five academic colleges and three specialty programs. Visit Lynn's debate website, debate2012.lynn.edu, for more information on Lynn debate-related news and events.

Face the Facts: Limited-English Students Test Public Schools | NewsTaco

Face the Facts: Limited-English Students Test Public Schools | NewsTaco:


Face the Facts: Limited-English Students Test Public Schools

By Raisa Camargo, Voxxi
Limited-English students are a growing part of America’s classrooms making it more diverse, but America’s teachers have some catching up to do.

Limited-English students outnumbering teachers

An estimated 10 percent of all public school students are English as a Second Language Learners (ESL), meaning they have limited English proficiency. But less than one percent of public school teachers are ESL instructors, according to the George Washington University Face the Facts initiative.
That means there’s just one ESL instructor for every 150 ESL students. The standard classroom ratio across America is one teacher for every 15 students. That’s ten times the national average of the public school classroom student to teacher ratio.
The number of ESL students is projected to increase 

A teacher weighs his role in fueling a closure policy he detests | GothamSchools

A teacher weighs his role in fueling a closure policy he detests | GothamSchools:


A teacher weighs his role in fueling a closure policy he detests

Mayor Bloomberg announces the city's new schools in April. Often, educators who help start new schools occupy classrooms vacated as another school closes.
It’s a dilemma that thousands of city educators have faced in the last decade: Should they work in a new school, knowing that its existence was made possible by another school’s closure?
When high school social studies teacher (and teachers union activist) Stephen Lazar was confronted with the question last year, he chose to help start the new school — but not without strong reservations.
Today in the Community section, Lazar outlines the thinking that led him to Harvest Collegiate High School, which opened this year in the space being vacated by Legacy High School for Integrated Studies, which is in the first year of being phased out.
In the third piece in a series about helping to open the new school, Lazar writes:
I’m excited for Harvest Collegiate High School to be born, but for that to happen, Legacy High 

The Second Year - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

The Second Year - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher:


The Second Year

Every now and then, someone plants a useful insight in your brain, a bit of truth with great utility, something you can use as a lens for multiple questions.
Last week, gathered with a group of IDEA organizers launching a new round of projects and initiatives, Arnie Langberg played a role you almost never find in education reform these days: wise elder. Langberg, most frequently associated with the free school movement, has done many things in his life as an educator, including starting four schools. He came to talk with us about lessons learned, reasons for hope in the edu-landscape--the big picture. For those in despair over just how frustrating school reform has become, he suggested a hopeful metaphor--toilet training--a kind of variant on "it's always darkest before dawn." And for those excited about organizing for societal and educational change, Langberg offered a cautionary note:
The second year is harder than the first.
In the first year, there's adrenalin. There's also purpose, vision, energy, mission, belief--and a built-in excuse. 

Ed Notes Online: Teachers Unite: Undemocratic System of Mayoral Control Hurts NYC Schools

Ed Notes Online: Teachers Unite: Undemocratic System of Mayoral Control Hurts NYC Schools:


Teachers Unite: Undemocratic System of Mayoral Control Hurts NYC Schools

My suggestion is radical: put the choice of principal at the school level. They serve at the pleasure of the parents and teachers. In parts of Europe they actually elect their principals. That actually was a plank in the early history of the UFT some people tell me. --- Norm at Ed Notes.
I love to quote myself.

Great work from Sally Lee and the crew at Teachers Unite. I am proud to have been on the first TU Board way back when. This work may prove to be a strong weapon in our goal to put a stake through the heart of mayoral control by killing the argument deformers use that they are fighting for civil rights. You know what amazes me? That 36% of the teachers actually think they have a power over decision-making at the city level and 80% seem 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Goldman Sachs exec exposes rip-off of Teacher Retirement Fund

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Goldman Sachs exec exposes rip-off of Teacher Retirement Fund:


Goldman Sachs exec exposes rip-off of Teacher Retirement Fund

Wall St. (N.Y. Times)
Greg Smith's book, "Why I Left Goldman Sachs," is being released Monday. It's a window into the culture of Wall Street and a company that routinely ripped-off clients, including teacher retirement funds. Smith was so disgusted with his firm, Goldman Sachs, that he quit via an open letter in the New York Times  in which he says:
"It makes me ill how callously people talk about ripping their clients off. Over the last 12 months I have seen five different managing directors refer to their own clients as “muppets,” sometimes over internal e-mail."
The term refers to clients, including teacher retirement fund managers, who were easily persuaded to invest fund dollars into poor performing stocks the Wall Street-ers where anxious to dump. The funds lost millions and now teachers are being forced to pay the price with cuts in their hard earned benefits.

In an interview on CBS News' 60 Minutes on Sunday to promote the release of his book Smith says: