Debra Beasley Lafave's Husband Tells All

Ex-Teacher D. Lafave
(This story has been updated. See note at bottom of page.) On tonight's "Larry King Live," Owen Lafave, the husband of notorious accused child molester Debra Beasley Lafave, told his side of the story. (See show's transcript here.)

For those that might not be familiar with the sorry tale, Debra Lafave is an ex-middle school teacher that is accused of engaging in sexual relations with one of her 14-year-old male students. (For our earlier profile of Debra Lafave, [with additional photos] please click here.) The alleged encounters happened in Lafave's SUV and in her home.

Debra Lafave was employed as a full-time reading teacher at Greco Middle School, in the city of Temple Terrace, (near Tampa) Florida.

She was arrested in June of last year and charged with two counts of "lewd and lascivious battery," and one count of "lewd and lascivious exhibition." (See the arrest documents by clicking here.) Lafave was then freed on a relatively modest bail of $25,000. (Ed.--Just imagine the bail if she had been a man.) She has entered a plea of "not guilty due to insanity." (Duh.) (Ed.--She may be insane, but she is probably guilty of child rape.)

Owen Lafave, Debra's husband, was interviewed for "the full hour" on tonight's Larry King. As usual, King served him the softball-type questions for which he has become infamous famous. Here is the gist of what was revealed.

• He has filed papers seeking a divorce.
• Owen Lafave indicated that there were no "sexual inadequacies" on his part.
• According to Owen, they were both happy newly-weds, with the type of "sex life" that would be considered typical for newlyweds.
• He said that he had met his wife's 14-year old victim once.
• Debra Lafave's parents (Owen's in-laws) are angry with him because he has not "stood by her."
• He is living alone in the town-home that they had bought together.
• Owen Lafave has dated, but is not dating anyone now.

I was curious why Owen Lafave would go on nation-wide television in order to tell his side of the story. But now I know the answer; it was for publicity. Owen Lafave is associated with a documentary film that is being made about the incident. The tentative title for this film is "After School: A study of the disturbing trend of teachers having sex with their students." You can see the documentary's website by clicking here.

We affirm that Mr. Lafave and his associates have the right to make this film. Having said that, we do not like the idea of any person or persons profiting from any crime, but especially crimes involving children.

On the other hand, maybe this picture might help parents understand the "danger signs" that are often present when one of these predators begins stalking his or her victim. Therefore, parents may then be able to intervene and spare their child the sort of long-term damage that undoubtedly has been caused to Lafave's alleged victim.

And in that context, the film may have some redeeming value.

Update: (11/22/05) Debra Lafave has now copped a plea; there will be no prison time.

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College Expels Education Student For Advocating Corporal Punishment In Schools

Scott McConnell, a student that attends LeMoyne College of Syracuse, New York is charging that he was dropped from the Masters of Education program because he advocated the use of corporal punishment in schools. The Daily Orange reports:

The paper, written for a class on classroom management, originally earned McConnell an A-. However, when he attempted to enroll in classes for the spring semester, he found he couldn't.

The issues that this case raises are very complicated, said Joseph Shedd, chair of the teaching and leadership programs in Syracuse University's School of Education. It is about more than just a student's right to express their own opinions, he said. "There is no clean dividing line between a person's opinions and his or her ability to make responsible professional judgments," Shedd said in an e-mail.He pointed to change in socially acceptable behavior over time to illustrate that standards change. America has evolved from a society in which different genders and different races have been viewed as having different academic ability, Shedd said.

If the facts are as stated, it's a sad commentary on our times. There have been a variety of well-publicized incidents similar to this one where students and teachers are excoriated for expressing unpopular viewpoints. Many believe that the cherished notion of academic freedom in many institutions is either dead or on life-support.

Or maybe Academic Freedom is alive and well as long as the opinions expressed are politically correct.

Update:(PM) Number 2 Pencil has exhaustive coverage of this incident. Be sure to check-out the thoughts of Precinct 333, which can be seen here. Captain's Quarters also has an insightful viewpoint into this whole sorry episode. Critical Mass also chimes in. The Foundation For Individual Rights in Education, (F.I.R.E.) has some additional information (including the notification of dismissal to McConnell) and letters.

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Dutch Schools Also Have Problems With Violent Students

Via Dutch Report
A writer (using the pseudonym Dutch Reporter) living in The Netherlands writes, logically enough, a blog called Dutch Report that addresses a variety of general-interest topics. Writing in English, Dutch Reporter is telling us that schools in Holland have their own problems with violent students, particularly those that have recently immigrated from Morocco. Dutch Reporter writes:

At the schools in Holland there are many problems with Moroccan youth. Most do not finish their school education and there are many stories about violence against teachers. The teachers do not receive any support from their management or the police. Thing is, Dutch schools, are not allowed to remove aggressive students. They can only try to get him on an other school, but other schools are also not waiting for an aggressive student. Last year, one student, even shot a teacher through his head, fellow student went on the streets to demonstrate to support the murderer.

Dutch Reporter offers a Dutch-language video, apparently shot in the classroom, that shows a male teacher being assaulted by a student. However, I could not get it to play very well. (I very much would like feedback from any readers that attempt to view the video stream; audio worked just fine.)

I don't know what, if any, bias(es) that Dutch Reporter may have, (D.R. is closely following the murder investigation of Theo Van Gogh, allegedly by a Moroccan.) but it is interesting to note that concerns over school-site violence directed against teachers and students is not limited to the United States.

Tipped by: Jeff of Beautiful Atrocities (Via TipWonk)

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How To Keep Teens From Camping In The Bathroom

The New York Daily News has a solution for those parents that just can't keep their teenagers from camping out in the bathroom for hours on end:

Want to get your teenager out of the bathroom fast? Of course you do. So run out and buy the new SAT Vocabulary Shower Curtain.
That's right, I'm talking about a $15 clear vinyl curtain covered with big words, dictionary definitions and eventually - if your kid is a normal, well-adjusted student who lives for anything other than A's - tear-salted soapsuds that spell out, "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Naturally, that is not how entrepreneur Kevin Tung sees this curtain of his. No, he says his goal is "simple, stress-free learning."

Our 13-year-old daughter, the TeenWonk, has already had us to understand that there isn't any way on earth that one of these is going into any of our bathrooms. Little does she know that the WifeWonk has already gotten her credit card out of its hideaway nook...

You can get your very own edition of this highly useful instrument of Teenager Control article by clicking here.

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Is There Hope On The Horizon For Restoring Sanity In The College Admissions Process?

Regarding the agonizingly stressful college admissions process, The Boston Globe writes:

"Are you a high school student fed up because you keep hearing that everything you do makes a difference on your college application? Are you a parent sick of emptying your wallet for test prep courses or the latest summer activity that might help Johnny get into Harvard?"

Lloyd Thacker, a former counselor and admissions officer, wants to change the way that universities and colleges admit their students by de-commercializing the process. He has started an advocacy group, The Education Conservancy in order to operationalize his goals. As the admissions process has become more focused on prestige, statistics, and money, Thacker says, students have lost faith, and education has taken a back seat. He writes:

"I saw the impact on this in the eyes of the kids" when he was working as a high school counselor, Thacker says. "The fear and anxiety increased as admissions became a game to be played, and parents told kids to pick activities based on what would help on their application. I had people calling and asking what sport would help their ninth-grader get into Harvard."

Some common sense advice offered by Thacker:

• Resist taking any standardized test more than twice.
• Try to limit the number of college applications you submit to no more than four to six. Studies show that students who apply to fewer colleges, once they have done reasonable research, often have better rates of acceptance and college success.
• Remember: The more popular the college, the more political the admissions process and the less control you have in that process.
• Carefully consider your reasons for accepting a position on any college's waiting list, and make sure you are set to go to a college to which you have been admitted. If you have selected your colleges confidently, you should have options.
• Are you applying to a college just because the application process is easy?
• Keep in mind that you are being judged according to criteria that you would never use to judge another person and which will never again be applied to you once you leave college.
• Consider taking a year off between high school and college to work or follow your passions.
• Approach high school as a necessary, significant, and enjoyable part of your life.
• Take appropriately challenging courses; you are in charge of deciding what is appropriate.
• Should you let an admissions dean, test score, GPA, or coach tell you what you are worth?

As a classroom teacher, I can appreciate Thackers motives, and I do like the tone of his advice. However, American society in general is resistant to change, and in the weird little world of Academia, the resistance to change borders on the fanatical.

There are just too many interests sinecures at stake to risk changing the status quo.

Sadly, this is our pessimistic (though realistic) prediction: There will be no meaningful changes in the admissions policies of our top-tier schools anytime in the foreseeable future. Our thirteen-year-old daughter (the TeenWonk) and her classmates will be the lesser for it.

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Bullies Beware: Akron School Board Approves New Policy

On December 31, 2004, we profiled the disturbing case of an Ohio bully that had an accomplice videotape his brazen classroom assault upon a younger schoolmate while class was in session. The tape was subsequently broadcast throughout the mid-west; the two miscreants were charged (not as adults but under more lenient juvenile statutes) with the stalking and assault of their victim. (As we pointed out, the thing that angered us most was when Superintendent Jim Rykaceski insinuated that the unprovoked beating was the victim's fault.)

As one might expect, the broadcast of the disturbing videotape caused quite a ruckus throughout the state of Ohio. The state legislature is considering a law that would require all school districts to develop anti-bullying guidelines.

Not ones to wait, the Akron public school system is making a promise to deal with the problem of school bullies. The governing board has adopted a policy that is aimed at stopping kids from being "picked on" by their predatory classmates.

In a major policy shift, teachers and principals will now be required to report any "aggressive behavior" to district authorities, who will now be required to investigate.

Aggressive behavior is defined as:

"Inappropriate conduct that is repeated enough, or serious enough, to negatively impact a student's educational, physical, or emotional well-being. This includes stalking, bullying, intimidating, menacing, coercion, name-calling, taunting, making threats and hazing."

District officials will be directed to "promptly investigate," all reported incidents. The discipline imposed upon violators would depend upon the type of bullying involved.

We are encouraged by this step in the right direction, but the we will wait to see if the Akron School District's actions will match their words.

Even though some child psychologists will say that bullying is often a manifestation of underlying psychological problems, our chief concern is for the welfare and safety of the bullies' victims. It is for that reason that we think that it would be best if bullies are quickly removed from mainstream classroom environments and placed in a more structured program more suited to their needs.

Maintaining a safe, orderly, and nurturing learning environment is paramount if our system of public education is to ever truly serve the needs of our children.

We are tired of hearing excuses nonsense such as: "Bullies are a fact of life; kids have to learn to deal with them; the bully has issues; they'll grow out of it; there is nothing that we can do; Etc." The truth of the matter is that thousands of good, hard-working students go to school everyday in in mortal terror that one of these little thugs is going to hurt them.

As parents, we are often unaware that our own children are being victimized by these malefactors until the mental and physical damage is done. That's because of the peculiar code of silence that all students, nearly all teachers, most principals, and some superintendents are familiar with.

We can (and should) put a stop to it.

Any effective program to eliminate school bullying is sure to cost large sums, and so we'll see if the Akron school system is actually committed to making positive changes. Or will this simply be some sort of stunt fabricated to garner a few easy "public-relations" points in the community.

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Extra Credit Assignment: Great Reading From Around The EduSphere

As always, the EduSphere offers some excellent reading that is to be had from a variety of sites and writers. We are pleased to present the weekend edition of our Extra Credit Assignment.

Those of us here at The Education Wonks are trying to assemble a comprehensive listing of education-related sites. If you write about educational matters, children, or family-related issues, please let us know at: edwonk@educationwonks.org.

We are also thinking about hosting a weekly Carnival Of Education Blogs, and would be deeply appreciative of any feedback that our readers could provide.

This listing will be updated throughout the weekend, (additional sites and/or new postings) so please consider returning and seeing what's new. As always, our own posts are displayed at the bottom of the page. Other than that, the entries are in no particular order:

Number 2 Pencil is telling us about a Rhode Island School District that says it is eliminating its traditional spelling bee because it doesn't comply with the No Child Left Behind Act. (And we thought it was because the district's superintendent has difficulty spelling B-U-F-F-O-O-N.) Number 2 is also bringing to our attention a new phenomena in the greater blogosphere: babyblogging.

Brian's Education Blog advises that we take life in small breaths. (Be sure to take a look at what is going on with his "eyes.")

After a short hiatus, Education Weak raises the issue, that sometimes there isn't truth in advertising when voters approve school bonds. (We enjoy the throught-provoking writing at this site, and hope that Lisa is able to post more often.)

A teacher named Precinct Chair blogs at Precinct 333. Mr. Chair has the story about a group at the University of Central Oklahoma that is sponsoring a Straight Pride Week. He also has a sad example of the suppression of both speech and religion---Swedish Style. (Where on earth are these people when we need them?)

Ms. Frizzle was staying up late the other night and tells us about what a student said in an attempt to get a better grade.

Graduate Student Jenny D. instructs a class of perspective teachers. Jenny shares with us an electronic dialogue that she had with one of her students about good writing. She has some great insights that good teaching can be learned.

Over at a school yard blog, they take a (nicely done) comprehensive look at Sunday's election in Iraq, including time lines. An eternal problem for those of us that teach middle school is learning our students' names. (In my case, 178 of 'em) They have an excellent suggestion for learning students' names.

Chris Correa makes an observation about teachers of math, and an important pre-requisite for success.

An outstandingly well-written general-interest blog, Wizbang! often closely follows education-related issues. They are alerting us to a probable case of Political Correctism Run Amok at the University of Oregon, that may include, among other things, requiring the removal of yellow "Support Our Troops" ribbons from university vehicles.

A colleague is confronted by Professor Plum. (And we thought that kind of slapping was politically incorrect because it is insensitive to female canines. heh.)

Moebius Stripper over at Tall, Dark, and Mysterious takes a question from a student in the back row that doesn't understand the Art of Using a Calculator.

The MUSC Tiger is a blog that is written by three students that attend the Medical School at the University of South Carolina. As undergraduates, two of them attended arch-rival Clemson University. (Which is near EdWonk's summer home.) They discuss a variety of general-interest items, including education-related issues. Now the Tigers bring us something that must be seen to be believed.

New blogger Polski 3 (Are there 2 others?) of The View From Here wanted to ask Barbara Kerr, who is the Boss of The California Teachers Association, some questions. Polski is angry that he didn't get his chance. (What does one expect from a union boss---accountability? heh.)

Rachel, over at Unicycle is happy that it's Friday (Words cannot describe our feelings about the subject.) and is going to celebrate a couple of days away from her classroom by knocking over a few duckpins.

At The Examined Life, a classroom teacher named e.s. makes a hilarious observation about why speaking English can be detrimental to your well being.

First Year Teacher has noticed something about how the media is portraying parent/child relationships. Here is a taste:

Have you noticed that all the kids on television treat their parents like crap? And have you noticed how it is supposed to be funny? And have you also noticed that the parents are completely ineffectual at parenting? What kind of example does this set and what are the effects of it?

SCSU Scholars is profiling student protests in a Utah university over a professor not getting tenure. Curiously, this professor had the same thing happen to him at another school, which resulted in the same type of student protests. (Can anyone say collusion?-- I thought you could. heh.)

The hipteacher has been sick all week, and can't diagnose the ailment. (She is worried about her students. Wellness begins at home.)

Eduwonk.com let's us know about how reforming San Diego Superintendent Alan Bersin finally fell victim to the machinations of the local teachers union.

A blogger teaching in New York's Bronx, Mr. Babylon has one of those students that drive all of us practicing classroom teachers around the bend.

A teacher that writes Social Studies is delighted with the calendar and is celebrating the ending of The Dark Ages.

Brand-new blogger Darren is a teacher who writes Right on the Left Coast. He is is asking readers for their input on whether his son should miss a day of school for an historical event.

At The Art of Getting By, Janet is having A Charles Dickens Moment with her students. (Check out her logo, everybody likes a diner.)

A Constrained Vision is curious about the test score gap between African-American and White students.

Joanne Jacobs tells us about a hard-working immigrant that understands the benefits of learning English. (Upward mobility IS the American Dream.)

Education Watch discusses the controversy surrounding an event called "Limits of Dissent?" that will be hosted by Hamilton College. The event will feature Native-American activist Ward Churchill, whose remarks concerning the attacks of 9-ll are said to be inflammatory by many.

A History Teacher is teaching his students a unit on totalitarianism, and writes about what it was like when people used to be called "Commies." (The Commissar over at The Politburo Diktat will order CHEKA surveillance on the History Teacher, if he is not more prudent.)

Even though the post is not related to education, the Commissar at The Politburo Diktat links to a Department of Defense website were one may sign an electronic card thanking members of the armed forces for their service. (It's for a worthy purpose and takes only a few seconds.) We hope that the Commissar will return to regular posting soon.

The post-hip chick has lost the delicious anonymity that blogging offers and gets caught because of a Certain Garment.(This is why we no longer wear our EdWonks Propeller Beanie in public.)

Pedablogue wrestles with the question of what a college course syllabus should be. (Back when I was a StudentWonk, these were one-page, one side documents. What happened?)

Discriminations raises an excellent issue. As a group, African American have shorter life-expectancies, therefore, on average, they will not enjoy the same number of years in retirement as their White counterparts. Using actuarial information, Discriminations convincingly demonstrate that African Americans take a corresponding "hit" on the amount of social security that they can expect in their lifetimes, while paying an equal amount in premiums.

A blog specializing in medical science, diplomacy, and politics, Hyscience reports that second-hand smoking triples the cancer risk of children.

Here at The Education Wonks, we look at a case where "Zero Tolerance" might have gone too far, and in The Spellings Report, we cover "The Rabbit Story." Akron has a new policy about bullies that causes us some concern. And we have some thoughts about the college admissions process. A dutch blogger has a videotape of a teacher being assualted by a student in the classroom.

Writers that trackback to this post will receive Extra Credit in our next assignment.

Get Previous Extra Credit by clicking here.

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The Class Act Files: Student Has Perfect Attendance...For 13 Years

Say hello to Shawn Li. He is a high school senior that attends Phoenix's Barry Goldwater High School. Since he began kindergarten, this young man has never missed a day of school.

That's right. He has not missed a single day of school in the last 13 years.

Shawn is so concerned about getting to school on time, that he sets three alarm clocks each night. When asked if were going to participate in that once-in-a-lifetime rite of passage known as "senior skip day," Shawn said, "Forget about it."

Barring some unforeseen disaster, Shawn will be one of the top ten students in his graduating class, having taken the academically rigorous college preparatory curriculum.

He has only 78 more school days to go.

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California's Jerry Brown Makes A (Slight) Right Turn

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, of all people, has become a promoter of charter schools. While he was governor of the State of California, (1974-1982) Jerry Brown was considered by many conservatives to be "so far to the left," that he was given the sobriquet "Governor Moonbeam." However, it has been said by some, that the older we get the more conservative our outlook often becomes. In his case, Brown may have made a (slight) right turn.

Since he was elected as mayor of Oakland in 1998, Brown has been instrumental in the founding of not just one, but two charter schools. (For those that may not be familiar, a charter school is a publicly funded institution that educates its students according to policies that are delineated in a written charter. The schools are free from many of the bureaucratic constraints and union rules that often dictate educational policy.) Brown continues to be a vocal supporter of the charter school concept.

Surprisingly, one of the schools that Brown helped establish is the Oakland Military Institute, where students undergo the rigorous military academy-type education associated with elite (and expensive) eastern boarding schools. Less surprisingly, the other is the Oakland School for the Arts, where of course, the focus is on the visual and performing arts.

The schools offer a college preparatory-type curriculum. Both of these tuition-free public institutions outperform Oakland's traditional comprehensive high schools on standardized tests.

Like many large cities, the Oakland public school system has had its share of problems. Several charter schools can be found within the city, and they have proven to be very popular with parents.

Nationwide, charter schools have had mixed results, with a Harvard study showing charter school students doing better than students placed in traditional public schools. A Federal study indicated that there was little difference between them.

Teachers unions are usually opposed to charter schools, because salaries and working conditions are set by the school's charter and not through the (usually) adversarial collective bargaining process. In the past, Brown has been strongly supported by (and has supported) traditional unions.

Even though we here at the 'Wonks have always been a little suspicious of Jerry Brown's intentions (as well as the sincerity of his public positions) we can respect the fact that he has at least shown some flexibility regarding his position on public education.

We like the fact that there are at least some Oakland parents that have a choice regarding the education of their children.

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Douglas Dycus Needs Some Of His Own Medicine

The Smoking Gun has the story of a Palm Beach, Florida man that is accused of using a high-voltage stun gun on his own 14-year-old son. Douglas Dycus, an engineer, admitted to police that he used the device when the 14-year-old and his brother would not stop play-wrestling before leaving on a family vacation.

So the father zapped the boy twice, once in the arm, and once in the torso. After letting out a scream, the boy complied with his father's wishes.

Later, the kid contacted a child welfare investigator and showed the investigator the marks that the device left in his arm and abdomen.

The police came and searched the house, confiscated the offending weapon, and arrested Douglas Dycus on a charge of felony child abuse. The Smoking Gun has all the details on this alleged child abuser, including police reports and arrest documents.

We here at The Education Wonks think that it would be a pretty good idea if someone would give Dycus a dose or two of his own electric shock therapy.

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Educating Women

Brian's Education Blog has an interesting post with a thought-provoking quote. In an utterance that he attributes to an individual named Rudy Manikan, Brian writes:

If you educate a man you educate a person, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family.

This short common-sense statement can be looked at in so many different ways, and at so many different levels of complexity. After reading the quote, the first idea that leapt into my mind was:

"Why didn't I think of saying that?"

Food for thought.

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Is This A Case Of "Zero Tolerance" Gone Too Far?

This stick-figure drawing was made by two male special education students in Ocala, Florida. The students are 9 and 10 years-old. What the picture shows is the two boys stabbing a 10 year-old classmate. The two students that made the picture drew another one (with mis-spelled profanities) that features the two "artists" hanging the same classmate. In order to make their intentions clear, the picture-drawers labeled the figures with the initials of everyone in the picture.

After making the drawings, the two boys displayed them to the third student, who, feeling threatened, reported it to the teacher. The teacher then took the drawings and showed them to school administrator Marty Clifford, who contacted the police.

The two students were arrested and led away in handcuffs by the police. They have since been charged with making a written threat, which is a felony in the State of Florida.

Of course the parents of the arrested students are very upset with the school, saying that school authorities should have handled whatever disciplinary action that would have been imposed. They, (and probably many others) think that involving the police in the matter was an extreme reaction.

But the school's point of view is that if they didn't call the police and a later act of violence was perpetrated against the threatened student, then the question that would be on everyone's lips would be, "Why didn't the school do anything about this before?"

This is one of those "rock and a hard place" scenarios that school administrators sometimes find themselves in. This incident will be a likely case-study for perspective administrators in their Education classes.

Other commentary on this story: Blogbat

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Students In New York State Take Top Honors On A.P. Test

The New York Times is trumpeting the fact that New York had the highest percentage of students who passed Advanced Placement Tests at the mastery level. The next highest finishers, in order, were: Maryland, Florida, California, Massachusetts, and Utah.

According to The Times, 37 states and the District of Columbia scored below average.

The states with the lowest percentages were, in order: Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Alabama.

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A Dedicated Teacher's Day

Ms. Frizzle is a science teacher that works in New York City's Bronx. On Wednesday, she let us have a look at her very long professional day.

After the students had gone home, Ms. Frizzle remained at her school site in order to attend the inaugural meeting of her campus' Parent-Teacher Association later that evening.

Only 3 students and some 6 parents attended the gathering.

Consider visiting her site and seeing what type of day that many dedicated teachers often "put-in" on behalf of their students and parents.

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The Spellings Report: The New Education Chief Is Not Happy

Margaret Spellings
Joanne Jacobs is telling us about a curious little cartoon rabbit named Buster that visits the State of Vermont. Buster the bunny takes a look at farms, sugar maples, and lesbians. The show, called "Postcards From Buster," was made by the Public Broadcasting Service with partial funding from the federal "Ready-To-Learn" program.

The episode, called "Sugartime!" concentrates more on the making of sugar than it does on the two real-life lesbian couples that are included in the yet-to-be-aired show.

Buster's Vermont visit does not amuse Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

In a move sure to cause concern among Vermonters, rabbit fanciers, and segments of the gay community, Spellings has sent PBS a letter "requesting," that they refund (to the Department of Education) the monies that were spent on this particular episode of "Postcards From Buster."

This is because federally funded shows must give attention to "research-based educational objectives, content and materials." In her letter, Spellings writes:

"Many parents would not want their children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in the episode. Congress and the Department's purpose in funding this programming certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to children, particularly through the powerful and intimate medium of television."

Secretary Spellings made two additional requests in the letter:

1. The show's producers remove the seal of the Department of Education from the show's credits.
2. PBS notify member stations about the show's content before any scheduled airing.

Spellings also warned PBS:

"You can be assured that in the future the department will be more clear as to its expectations for any future programming that it funds."

We here at The Education Wonks hope that Secretary Spellings moves this quickly when it comes to continuing the process of implementing positive reforms of public education system.

Our nation's children cannot afford the delay.

Update: (1/27/05) Eduwonk.com has an idea what may have motivated Spellings to make this decision.

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Owen Lafave, Husband Of Accused Child Molester Debra Beasley Lafave, Speaks Out

Ex-Teacher D. Lafave
On tonight's "Larry King Live," Owen Lafave, the husband of notorious accused child molester Debra Beasley Lafave, told his side of the story. (See show's transcript here.)

For those that might not be familiar with the sorry tale, Debra Lafave is an ex-middle school teacher that is accused of engaging in sexual relations with one of her 14-year-old male students. (For our earlier profile of Debra Lafave, [with additional photos] please click here.) The alleged encounters happened in Lafave's SUV and in her home.

Debra Lafave was employed as a full-time reading teacher at Greco Middle School, in the city of Temple Terrace, (near Tampa) Florida.

She was arrested in June of last year and charged with two counts of "lewd and lascivious battery," and one count of "lewd and lascivious exhibition." (See the arrest documents by clicking here.) Lafave was then freed on a relatively modest bail of $25,000. (Ed.--Just imagine the bail if she had been a man.) She has entered a plea of "not guilty due to insanity." (Duh.) (Ed.--She may be insane, but she is probably guilty of child rape.)

Owen Lafave, Debra's husband, was interviewed for "the full hour" on tonight's Larry King. As usual, King served him the softball-type questions for which he has become infamous famous. Here is the gist of what was revealed.

• He has filed papers seeking a divorce.
• Owen Lafave indicated that there were no "sexual inadequacies" on his part.
• According to Owen, they were both happy newly-weds, with the type of "sex life" that would be considered typical for newlyweds.
• He said that he had met his wife's 14-year old victim once.
• Debra Lafave's parents (Owen's in-laws) are angry with him because he has not "stood by her."
• He is living alone in the town-home that they had bought together.
• Owen Lafave has dated, but is not dating anyone now.

I was curious why Owen Lafave would go on nation-wide television in order to tell his side of the story. But now I know the answer; it was for publicity. Owen Lafave is associated with a documentary film that is being made about the incident. The tentative title for this film is "After School: A study of the disturbing trend of teachers having sex with their students." You can see the documentary's website by clicking here.

We affirm that Mr. Lafave and his associates have the right to make this film. Having said that, we do not like the idea of any person or persons profiting from any crime, but especially crimes involving children.

On the other hand, maybe this picture might help parents understand the "danger signs" that are often present when one of these predators begins stalking his or her victim. Therefore, parents may then be able to intervene and spare their child the sort of long-term damage that undoubtedly has been caused to Lafave's alleged victim.

And in that context, the film may have some redeeming value.

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Union Nonsense: A California Teacher's Viewpoint

Over at joannejacobs.com, they are having quite a discussion about teachers unions, and whether or not they can ever be positive advocates of educational reform.

I am a classroom teacher in south-eastern California, and have served the students and parents of my district for 13 years. Like most California public school teachers, my district is forced to deduct from my paycheck union dues from three different organizations: The National Education Association, The California Teachers Association, and the ______ Elementary Teachers Association.

As a classroom teacher that is forced to pay these substantial union dues, I have made the following observations about these unions in general, which I have referred to in the past as legalized syndicates.

• Even if I choose to not formally join the union, because nearly all California school districts are "closed shops" I cannot withhold dues. An equal amount will be taken out of my paycheck by the district, whose hands are tied by the law. Since dues have been going up every year, the combined union dues will reach well over $900.00 this year.
• The rank and file have no say in how much those dues will be, as we are never given an opportunity to vote for any proposed increase.
• Union officers are not elected by the membership at either the state or national levels. A secretive (and appointed by the President) "nominating committee" prepares a slate of "approved" candidates for union office. The slate of "candidates" is then presented to a convention of union activists who rubber-stamp the nominees. As only one candidate appears on the ballot, all union "elections" are uncontested and therefore mere formalities.
• Neither national, state, nor local unions ever poll their membership regarding dues increases, political positions, or endorsements of political candidates. (Almost always, both CTA and NEA endorse candidates of the Democratic Party. The union will not disclose to its membership how much those candidates receive in the form of P.A.C. money.)
• The salaries of union officers and operatives are not disclosed to the membership, and we here at the 'Wonks have been trying to learn how they receive in compensation for several months, but to no avail.
• Both national and state unions refuse to disclose their expenditures to members, despite repeated requests by ourselves and others.
• Salaried Union honchos (and this includes national and state officers as well as full-time operatives) enjoy lifetime free health insurance, a benefit that very few classroom teachers receive, even after decades of service.

As long as teachers unions remain anti-democratic organizations, it is highly unlikely that they will ever be agents of positive educational reform, regardless of their public protestations to the contrary. NEA Autocrat Reg Weaver and Barbara Kerr, The Unelected Empress of CTA , being the selected not elected leaders that they are, will continue to resist any and all attempts to democratize their organizations and be accountable to the thousands of teachers that are forced to hand-over substantial parts of their paychecks each and every month.

The National Education Association and The California Teachers Association remain, to us here at The Education Wonks, legalized syndicates that continue to extort "protection money" (and spend it in undisclosed ways) from many classroom teachers against their wishes.

Additional Commentary: Right on the Left Coast, here and here

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Tenure Laws Run Amok: New York City Has Trouble Giving Unfit Teachers The Boot

Here at the 'Wonks, we like to keep an eye on those whose wrong-doing is a detriment to the Education Craft. We will continue to do so. As we profiled before, The City of New York has a great deal of trouble getting rid of many of its teachers that have had....er...um...problems.

This is due to a combination of union rules, and government statutes. The allegations of bad behavior run the gamut from being drunk in the classroom, to being arrested with crack cocaine and other forms of criminal behavior.

So, when I saw this article in The New York Post titled "Class Clowns," I just knew that the news was not going to be good.

• Nearly half of all public-school educators that have been brought up on disciplinary charges over the last five years---allegations ranging from drug use to corporal punishment--are still in the school system and earning full salaries.
• In some 37% of cases, the educator kept his or her job by order of an independent arbitrator of by settling their cases with the Department of Education.
• Only 74 of the 555 educators charged with wrong-doing have been fired since the year 2000.
• In a move allowing them to keep their pensions, more than 180 resigned under pressure.
• There are currently 68 educators who have disciplinary cases pending.

I used to live in a town near Niagara Falls, New York. So I know a little something about The Post. It is a tabloid. And like many tabloids, it has an axe to grind. The use of "shock headlines" are The Post's stock-in-trade. But I think that in this case, they may be right.

Usually, where there is smoke, there is fire.

We firmly believe that educators, like all citizens, should be entitled to the full protections that are guaranteed by their "due process" rights. Having said that, we believe that the current system is in urgent need of modification.

Tenure laws were designed to ensure that teachers received "due process" and were not fired for being candid (regarding educational programs) or dismissed en masse by capricious superintendents wishing to distribute teaching jobs to their cronies like so much Halloween candy.

Concerning the problems in New York City, the teachers union has traditionally been resistant to change. But perhaps even the union has had enough of the shenanigans that are pulled by some of its members. The United Federation of Teachers (led by Randi Weingarten) has indicated that it would be willing to compromise by shortening the current disciplinary process from as long as two years to 90 days.

That would be progress.

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The Council Has Spoken!

The Watcher's Council
Each and every week, Watcher of Weasels sponsors a contest to see what are the most link-worthy posts in the larger Blogosphere. The winning entries are determined by a jury of 12 bloggers (and The Watcher) known as "The Watcher's Council." The Council has met and voted on this week's submitted posts.

Council Entry:

Winner: Council member Dr. Sanity has written a fine piece called "WMD and Death By Chocolate Cake."

Runner-Up: "Ted Kennedy's Contract On Your Paycheck" by The Sundries Shack placed second this week.

Non-Council Entry:

Winner: Top honors were taken this week by Varifrank with a very engaging post called "Welcome Neighbor."

Runner-Up: "Aiding and Abetting The Enemy" by BlackFive placed a strong second.

Our own Council-Member entry, "Columbia Students Allege Intimidation By Pro-Palestinian Professors" can be seen here.

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The Prom Dress That's Not For Your Mother's Prom

Number 2 Pencil has the story on a $495.00 prom dress that is more suited for a house of ill fame. The dress itself is sold in some of the more trendy shops around the country, and it is said to be a good seller.

As a classroom teacher that has chaperoned many school dances, I can say that such an outfit as this would not make it past the front door at any school-sponsored function in our mid-sized south-western California school district.

That's because we live in a relatively conservative enclave in a state noted for its liberalism.

Having said that, over on the more "cosmopolitan" (sorry!) coast it may be a completely different story. There are some school districts that would probably admit a female wearing such a "dress," especially if the parents insisted, (after spending nearly $500.00) or threatened the principal with a complaint to the district's superintendent and/or governing board.

Most California school administrators will do almost anything to avoid being the subject of a written parent complaint, as such complaints are likely to damage the administrator's prospects for promotion.

Allowing the wearer to enter the prom will raise a number of eyebrows and set tongues waging, but will not likely result in any formal complaints.

Update: TeenWonk just chimed in with a "No way would I wear that dress." (The WifeWonk and myself are relieved....)

Other Commentary: Michelle over at A Small Victory is also relieved. Wizbang! has an outstanding post that raises the possibility that this is a hoax!

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Accused Of Hurting Children: An Educator's Worst Nightmare

Kevin Lindsey
After he was accused of corruption, Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Labor, Raymond J. Donovan, was forced by the public outcry to resign from his post in 1985. Later,when he was cleared of the charge, the only thing that Donovan had to say to the press was, "Give me back my reputation."

When an educator is charged with any sort of wrong-doing that involves children, it is next to impossible for the accused to ever fully recover his or her reputation, even though the educator may be clearly innocent.

Society's rule for educators seems to be, "Once a suspect, always a suspect." Many colleagues and members of the community will never look at the once-accused in quite the same way as they did before.

Here we have the case of elementary school principal Kevin M. Lindsey, age 50. Lindsey was serving as principal of McCormick Elementary School, near Baltimore, Maryland, when he was accused three months ago of sexually assaulting two former pupils in the 1970s.

On Ocotber 8th, Lindsey was relieved of his principal's duties and placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. He was then arrested and charged with two counts of sexually assaulting children.

Lindsey's nameless accusers, who are sisters, told the police that Lindsey, who was then a classroom teacher, had sexually assaulted them back in the '70s, when they were in the second and fourth grades. They said that memories of the incident had been repressed and only recently recovered by the now 34 and 35 year-old women.

After the police had questioned the accusers several times, the charges against the principal were dropped on December 29, 2004. Meanwhile, Lindsey's mother had died, and he had lost some 25 pounds of weight.

Lindsey is convinced that even though the "evidence" was flimsy at best, the police arrested him in order to see if any other students would emerge to substantiate the accusation.

After the charges were dropped, Mr. Lindsey said:

"Is it right to ruin someone's life just to go out there for a fishing expedition? That's what it was. Now they can say, 'We have no new victims,' but what price have I paid?"

Lindsey considered suing his two accusers for defamation, but then decided against the idea. For any lawsuit to be successful, he would have to prove that the sisters' accusations had been deliberately leveled at him in order to damage him professionally.

A lawsuit against the police, however, is a different matter. Lindsey is weighing his options.

In spite of all this, Kevin Lindsey still had a strong desire to serve children. He was restored to his position as principal of McCormick Elementary School. He went back to work on Monday, January 18th. Everything is just as it was, except his pet fish, "Oscar" had died.

Lindsey was swarmed by children and staff who warmly welcomed his return, and was presented with a card that had been signed by every student in the school's kindergarten class.

That's the good news. And now for the not-so-good dose of reality:

For the rest of Mr. Lindsey's career, there will be whispered speculation about whether any of the girls' allegations were true. Some will say that there were probably other victims, who simply couldn't (or didn't want to) get involved. The gossip will continue for many years to come, in social gatherings of parents, professional workshops of educators, and faculty lounges throughout the district.

And so the question remains unanswered: "How does an educator get his or her reputation back even after the legal ordeal is over?"

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Grade Inflation At Princeton University

Both Professor Leopold Stotch (of Professor Chaos) and Digger (of Diggers Realm) have tipped us to a story about the grade inflation controversy at Princeton University. Professor Stotch has written the following at Outside The Beltway:

In a move students protested last year, Princeton became the first elite college to cap the number of A's that can be awarded.

Previously, there was no official limit to the number of A's handed out, and nearly half the grades in an average Princeton class have been A-pluses, A's or A-minuses. Now, each department can give A's to no more than 35 percent of its students each semester.

According to the source, the crack-down at Princeton is a precursor to a more generalized effort to "tighten-up" grading throughout the Ivy League.

Stotch is a professor at a major university. He correctly points out that many school administrators (lacking little classroom teaching experience themselves) will often judge a professors efficacy as an instructor by his or her grade distribution.

Professor Stotch asks a good question:

"The fact of the matter is that students at Ivy League schools should be getting a disproportionate number of "A"s -- otherwise, why were they admitted?"

In this era of systemic educational reform, where students in a given K-12 classroom receive instruction tailored to fulfill a set of given standards, it may be necessary to review the traditional American system of grading collegiate work.

We here at The Education Wonks think that the assignment of grades for college-level work should be similar to criterion-referenced tests. (A good example of a criterion-referenced test is that taken by applicants seeking a driver's license.)

That is to say, it should be theoretically possible for all students in a given class to receive an "A" grade. The number of students receiving high marks should be determined solely by the number that have achieved mastery of the material.

Does that happen in real life? Rarely. But the imposition of a "quota system" of grades is out-of sync with the grading system that is now evolving in America's K-12 public education system.

The old-fashioned bell-curve system of assigning grades, (where approx 40-50% of students get the "average" grade of "C") is no longer the norm in America's k-12 schools. If not dead, the bell curve has been on life-support for several years.

The thrust for systemic reform of America's k-12 public schools has also included a sustained effort to reform the system used by those institutions in the assignment of grades.

The goal is to assign students grades based upon the level of proficiency attained by each student in the subject area. Just like the driver's license examination, 100% of pupils can theoretically get an "A."

But only if they learn the material.

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Extra Credit Assignment: Great Reading From Around The EduSphere

The WifeWonk prefers that I don't drink and blog, so I don't, but sometimes that just seems so harsh. It's the weekend, and even though grades are due on Monday, I can't resist dropping in on a few educational blogs in order to see what everyone is up to. We will continue to update this Extra Credit throughout the day, so consider stopping in again and seeing what's new.

At Pedablogue, they have written a post that all classroom teachers should read, be they primary, secondary, or college. Those that are not in the classroom should also take a look.

Ms. Frizzle has published an excellent post about the careless mistakes that children often make on high-stakes tests. (This is highly recommended read for teachers, parents, and school administrators.)

Joanne Jacobs relates to us yet another story of how an innovative school administrator was "punished" for being successful. At least a board member is asking for an explanation.

Over at Discriminations, they discuss rather or not the ending of racial preferences would result in fewer African-Americans being admitted to elite law schools.

Eduwonk.com is keeping an eye on the mess over in San Diego, California, where reform-minded superintendent Alan Bersin may lose his job.

Academic blogger Jenny D. continues her series of thought-provoking posts with another confession. She also hints that she may feel a "calling."

Professor Plum gives us his take on the "Anti-Racist Math" controversy that Chris Correa also wrote about.

Brian's Education Blog is reporting that in Germany, parents that homeschool are being forced to enroll their children in public schools. (I hope that never occurs on this side of the Atlantic; The 'Wonks believe in freedom of choice.)

Here at The Education Wonks, we reported the case of a California teacher that had been suspended for teaching the "Blue-Eyes, Brown-Eyes" lesson. Next, we have an update about the elementary students that attempted to hijack their school bus. We take a look at the controversy surrounding grade inflation at Princeton University. The 'Wonks are curious about how an accused (and then cleared) educator can recover his reputation once the legal ordeal is over.

Tall, dark & mysterious has posted a hilarious "game" that consists of the excuses that college students give for not attending class. (For all those that have ever taught students in a classroom, this is a highly-suggested read.) Moebius then tells us of the time a student wore a T-shirt instructing passersby to touch her breasts. (I guess my alma mater, Florida State University, must've been a little tame by comparison.)

Over at Unicycle, they had a some snow, and Rachel is hoping for some good news on Monday. (We live here in the deserts of southern California, so we never get that kind on news. heh.)

Bill at The Endless Faculty Meeting has an interesting thought about schools that have been labeled as underperforming and yet are doing a good job educating kids.

Learning Curves is asking for help with a Math Problem. (Math was my favorite subject, but it's beyond me.)

The Irascible Professor asks if America is becoming more like ancient Athens or Sparta. It's a thought-provoking commentary on the choices that our Nation currently faces. (I would hope that we would remain Athenians, but that just me.)

Teach and Learn chimes in on a New York Times article on the controversy surrounding the teaching of evolution in public schools. (We here at The 'Wonks agree with them on this one.)

Latest Extra Credit Assignment here

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