The widespread feeling among the national media is that Sen. Harry Reid has the candidate he wants in Sharron Angle—to Harry, I would say be careful what you wish for.

Here in Nevada, we know Harry… and books have been written on the damage he has done to our state and the nation in his 24 years in the Senate. Few know Sharron yet, and Democrats will work hard to define her as horribly as they can.

Let me say this, what Angle did in Nevada is nothing short of remarkable. I watched this race closely (having worked with one of her opponents in the race) and saw Angle in action. I know the good and the bad. There is no perfect candidate. Races are relative. All that matters is that you are better than your opponent. (more…)

In researching my article on “Rubber Room” teachers, who are paid not to teach after being accused of a crime, I came across some information that deserves further discussion. The problem is much worse than the media would have you believe.

The teachers in these programs are the ones who managed to escape prosecution but are considered too great a risk to be allowed to return to teaching. Or else they’re the accused waiting for judgment. Or they’re people the schools can’t get rid of due to tenure deals.

In 2004, Hofstra University professor Dr. Carol Shakeshaft published a report for the United States Department of Education titled “Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature.” It was presented to Congress as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. In it, Shakeshaft stated:

As a group, these studies present a wide range of estimates of the percentage of U.S. students subject to sexual misconduct by school staff and vary from 3.7 to 50.3 percent. Because of its carefully drawn sample and survey methodology, the AAUW report that nearly 9.6 percent of students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career presents the most accurate data available at this time. (more…)