Finalists for Kentucky Commissioner of Education
Published comments from various newspapers
Richard La PointeAge: 64 Education: Bachelor's degree in history from the University of California at Berkeley; master's degree in Latin American Studies from UCLA; and a doctorate in comparative education from UCLA.
Family: Married with five daughters and four sons
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Note: I was unsuccessful finding much on Dr. La Pointe in recent years. I did find his name on lists of conference speakers and on federal vocational grant applications. I assume my difficulties are the product of his assimilation into the vast education bureaucracy.
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Richard LaPointe Tapped as New Director of High School, Postsecondary Education and Career Education
From U S Office of Education News Archives 2002
Assistant Secretary Carol D'Amico is pleased to announce that Richard La Pointe will be joining our staff. Richard has been appointed to the position of Director, Division of High School, Postsecondary and Career Education. As such, he will serve as the principal program advisor to the Office of the Assistant Secretary on matters related to high school, postsecondary and career education programs under the overall purview of the OVAE.
Richard has had an extensive career at the Department of Education. He has held various positions in Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Office of Postsecondary Education, and the Office of the Secretary and is currently working for the Deputy Secretary. Richard also served as Senior Advisor to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, President of a major, not-for-profit literacy organization, and Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
He holds a Ph.D and Masters degree from U.C.L.A. and an A.B. from the University of California, Berkeley. While in Federal service he earned a certificate in Management from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
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In October 2001 the following vital was presented for Dr. La Pointe
at a conference on Study & Learning Abroad.
Richard T. La Pointe is Senior Advisor to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education. He is a former president of Laubach Literacy of Syracuse, NY, and Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Over the years, Dr. La Pointe has held numerous roles within the U.S. Department of Education, including deputy assistant secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, director of the Fund to Improve and Reform Schools and Teaching, executive director of the National Council for Educational Research, special assistant to the Office of the Secretary for Private Education, and deputy director for Postsecondary Relations, Higher Education. He is also a former senior policy advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
Dr. La Pointe has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Title VI Foreign Language Fellow. He is a former Henry Toll and W. K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellow and was selected for three Secretary's Honor Awards from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dr. La Pointe received an A.B. degree in history from University of California, Berkeley, and did graduate work at U.C.L.A., where he earned a master's in Latin American Studies and a Ph.D. in education.
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Lifetime of literacy manifest through service
Deseret News, The (Salt Lake City, UT)July 17, 1999
One of Richard T. La Pointe's earliest memories is watching his grandmother read to his grandfather from the Bible. Each evening at bedtime, just before turning out the light, his grandfather would lean back against his pillow, intertwine his fingers together across his chest and listen as his wife shared the night's verse of scripture. It was tradition.
This image has remained through the years with the now 56-year-old Richard La Pointe -- a symbol to him of the enriching power of reading on self and family. This deeply ingrained belief has served him well as a public school teacher and in later administrative positions and will now serve him as the new president of Laubach Literacy, an international literacy organization based in Syracuse, N.Y.
Brother La Pointe, a member of the McLean (Va.) 1st Ward and a member of the stake high council, took over the reins of the organization June 1 when the former president, Robert F. Caswell, retired after 17 years. The new president was chosen from among 172 candidates after a nationwide search.
In a Church News telephone interview, he expressed his pleasure in his new post. "I'm a teacher. Teaching those who cannot read and write is a pretty noble challenge. My whole career has been involved in literacy, teaching people to read and write. This position is just a logical extension."Laubach Literacy, a non-profit educational organization, is dedicated to helping adults of all ages learn to read, write, and gain math and problem-solving skills.
Founded in 1955 by literacy pioneer Frank C. Laubach, the organization has 1,100 member programs throughout the United States and 69 partner programs in 36 developing countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America. The vast majority of those involved are volunteers -- some 90,000 -- who either teach people in their communities to read or train tutors themselves.In addition, Laubach's international programs have collaborated with Latter-day Saint Charities, the Church's relief and development agency, in literacy and self-development projects in Bangladesh, Haiti, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Mexico and Uganda. The current literacy section of the Church's Welfare Services exhibit at the Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City includes photos of projects in which Laubach has cooperated with the Church.
To Brother La Pointe, literacy helps people unlock the door to their educational and spiritual potential. Ultimately, he declared, education is "to make life more enriching. It's the key to unlocking the door to happiness. We don't seek education for just economic reasons, but also for deep personal satisfaction and happiness."These threads of happiness seem woven throughout his family fabric."My family has about 150 years in education. My first teacher was my grandmother, who taught for 65 years. My father is a retired school teacher. My youngest brother is a school teacher. I'm a school teacher and my daughter has been accepted into the University of Virginia, in the School of Education," Brother La Pointe related.
This is not surprising, considering favorite family activities when he was growing up were having spelling bees and going to Shakespearean festivals. Brother La Pointe actually grew up in two communities. During the school year, he lived with his parents in West Pittsburg, Calif., and during the summer he lived in Ashland, Ore., with his grandparents. As a teenager, he learned about the Church through his best friend, Michael Lee. Missionaries visited the La Pointe home, and Brother La Pointe and two brothers were baptized. (Brother La Pointe baptized his 75-year-old mother two years ago.)
In Ashland, a logging town, he became familiar with Shakespeare. The citizens valued cultural events and built a replica of the Globe Theater to host a Shakespearean festival. From the time he was 3 years old to the time he left to serve in the Brazil Mission in the 1960s when he was 19, he attended the festival.The La Pointe family were also avid readers. This has carried over to his family today, consisting of his wife, Ann, and their nine children, ranging in age from 33 to 13. (Two sons are currently serving missions.)"In more recent times, I served as Scoutmaster for 12 years, and one of the important things I've done is read stories to my Boy Scouts around the campfires. [Literacy is] not only important to me and my family, but also to the young people I was entrusted with."These include children he taught and supervised throughout his educational career.
Most recently, he was superintendent of public instruction for Virginia. He has also served U.S. Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush in the U.S. Department of Education, was executive director for the National Council for Educational Research of the National Institute of Education, and was a senior policy adviser in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
He and his family have also lived in California, where he is a former superintendent of schools, an English and history teacher and principal. At one time, he was also mayor of Concord, Calif. He received his doctorate in philosophy and master's degree from UCLA, his bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a certificate of management from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
In his new position as president of Laubach Literacy, he intends on implementing a series of initiatives, including areas of family literacy, women and literacy, and a national scholarship book fund (generating resources to distribute books nationally and internationally to individuals and educational organizations).Brother La Pointe said there are some 40 million Americans with literacy challenges today. And, he added, "you cannot have a [truly] open society with people who are not literate."
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: AllSection: Church NewsPage: Z13
Index Terms: News
Copyright (c) 1999 Deseret News Publishing Company
Record Number: 9907190037
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LAUBACH LITERACY NAMES LEADER EDUCATOR RICHARD T. LA POINTE
WILL SERVE AS PRESIDENT OF THE SYRACUSE-BASED ORGANIZATION
Post-Standard, The (Syracuse, NY) - July 9, 1999
Syracuse-based Laubach Literacy, the world's oldest and largest literacy organization, has named Richard T. La Pointe its new president.La Pointe replaces Robert F. Caswell, who is retiring after 17 years.
La Pointe has served with the U.S. Department of Education in the Reagan and Bush administrations and with the National Institute of Education. A former English and history teacher, he has served as a school superintendent in Contra Costa County, Calif., and as mayor of Concord, Calif. Most recently, he was state superintendent of public instruction in Virginia.He received his bachelor's degree at the University of California at Berkeley, his master's and doctorate at UCLA and a management certificate from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Widely published, he has done field research in Brazil and lived in Japan."We are truly delighted to have Richard La Pointe as president of Laubach Literacy," Thomas E. Noel, chairman of the nonprofit's board, said in a prepared statement. "His unique combination of scholarship, leadership and practical experience will bring an exciting new vision and strong direction to our organization at a time when our nation and world face an increasing number of educational challenges, especially in the field of adult literacy."Laubach Literacy is dedicated to helping adults of all ages improve their lives and their communities through reading, writing, math and problem-solving skills. It has 1,100 member programs throughout the United States, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, including The Learning Place in Syracuse.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: FinalSection: LocalPage: B6
Copyright (c) 1999 The Herald Company
Record Number: 9907090095
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FOR STAPLETON, IT'S CHILDREN FIRSTAPPOINTMENT SIGNALS MOVE TOWARD MODERATION
Richmond Times Dispatch – 14 April 1998
The first thing Paul D. Stapleton did in his new downtown Richmond office was remove the historical portraits and put up framed artwork by children.The decor sums up the educational philosophy of Stapleton, who became the state superintendent of public instruction on April 1: children first.
It's a motto found on the gold lapel pin that adorns his jacket and on the colorful coffee mugs he passes out to employees as motivational reminders of a school system's focus."I was told once before that it was silly to get to the state level and start talking about children first, that that wasn't the way we did things," he said. "What else would you talk about? If you're heading the state Department of Education, what would be your priority if it wasn't the children? Because that's what public education is about."
Educators and legislators across the state praise the one-time school bus driver and elementary school teacher for having the leadership and people skills to lead Virginia's public schools into the 21st century as they embark on one of the nation's toughest accountability programs.He also is expected to help pull the state Department of Education out of the low morale that followed major staff cuts during the Wilder administration and reached a nadir during the tenure of Stapleton's predecessor, Richard T. La Pointe.
Insiders also believe Stapleton's appointment by Gov. Jim Gilmore signals a continuing move toward a moderate education policy and away from the perceived ideological bent that marked the administration of fellow Republican George Allen.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: CitySection: Area/StatePage: B-1
Index Terms: SCHOOL; JIM GILMORE; APPOINTMENT; EDUCATION
Copyright 1998 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
Record Number: 9804140265
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April 7 1998 – Newport News Daily Press
There's a note of optimism among state educators because of changes Gov. Jim Gilmore has made in the top leadership ranks. Most recently, Gilmore appointed Paul D. Stapleton as state superintendent of public instruction. Stapleton spent 11 years as school superintendent in Charlotte County, where he built a reputation as a miracle worker…
That will be a major change from the atmosphere of the last year when Richard La Pointe's management of the department created serious morale problems.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: FinalSection: EditorialPage: A8
Index Terms: Editorials
Copyright 1998, 2000 Daily Press (Newport News, VA)
Record Number: 9804070136
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La Pointe Not Reappointed - Richmond Times-DispatchJanuary 17, 1998
[Virginia] Gov.-elect James S. Gilmore III yesterday appointed Scott Pattison as state budget director in his new administration…
Meanwhile, Richard T. La Pointe, state superintendent of public instruction, wasn't so lucky.
On Thursday, Gilmore's staff told La Pointe that he wouldn't be reappointed. A former education official in the Reagan and Bush administrations, La Pointe has been criticized by some in the legislature as too ideological.
The dumping of La Pointe is another indication that Gilmore will eschew the ideology-driven agenda of his predecessor who often had major fights with lawmakers over education and protection of the environment.
Yesterday, the former state schools' chief said he sought reappointment after serving 18 months in the Allen administration. He pointed proudly to the new accreditation standards and statewide testing program that were established during his tenure, accomplishments that both Allen and Gilmore have praised."I've carried out what Governor Allen has asked me to do, and I'm terribly pleased with the opportunity I had," La Pointe said yesterday.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: CitySection: Area/StatePage: A-6
Index Terms: BUDGET; OFFICIAL; GOVERNMENT
Copyright 1998 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
Record Number: 9801170167
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PARENTS TO GET SCHOOL REPORT CARDSIT WILL GIVE RATINGS ON HOW EACH PERFORMS IN FIVE AREAS
Richmond Times-Dispatch - 9 January 1998
"The school report card will clearly bring accountability to our schools," said [Virginia Governor George] Allen, the father of two elementary-age children. "If the school is doing well, [parents] will be happy. If schools continue to underperform, they will demand changes and improvements."The easy-to-read report cards also will let parents know at a glance what the new criteria are.
While educators will pore through the new accreditation standards, "Normal people will not read through the [Standards of Accreditation]," Allen said."That's why the school report cards are so important," he said. "It's one card, and it's printed on either side of the paper. Folks can laminate it if they so desire or pick their teeth with it."
The report cards will not contain any demographic data, such as racial or sex indicators. Richard T. La Pointe, state superintendent of public instruction, said local school divisions can add more information in an insert if they wish. The cards will be an abridged version of more detailed information that will be available, La Pointe said.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: CitySection: Area/StatePage: B-1
Index Terms: GEORGE ALLEN; BOARD; EDUCATION; SCHOOL; REPORT
Copyright 1998 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
Record Number: 9801090203
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COUNTDOWN TO STATE TESTS: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS AS AN UNNKOWN DEADLINE DRAWS NEAR,
TEACHERS WORRY THAT THEY WON'T HAVE TIME TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE TEST.
Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - 5 January 1998
Texas-based Harcourt Brace Educational Measurement designed the field test and is contracted to design future tests. Committees made up of Virginia teachers and administrators review and revise the tests.The field test, James said, contained ``too many errors'' - including questions for which none of the proposed answers was correct.Virginia Beach's schools superintendent, Timothy R. Jenney, thought so, too.
In a letter to state Superintendent Richard T. La Pointe last spring, Jenney wrote: ``The scope and quantity of errors and flaws raise serious questions about the technical quality of the SOL tests and their value as measures of student achievement. . . . Tests which contain so many errors or which do not pass the scrutiny of external experts will never be embraced by teachers.''Citing more than three dozen examples, his letter itemized problems found by his staff including errors (one algebra question had no right choices), the testing of ``trivial information'' (the year the telephone was invented - 1876) and a mismatch between some questions and the curriculum standards…
…State Superintendent La Pointe predicted that the department, after looking at the results this summer, will propose a rate that will be considered by the Board of Education in the fall.The state, he said, would not bow to any pressure to artificially lower the pass rate to ensure that more students pass.
Critics fear that schools in low-income areas will have a particularly rough time meeting the accreditation requirement that 70 percent of their students pass the tests.``We will get the results back in midsummer, and we will have groups of national experts working with us,'' he said. ``My experience in this process is that there's a great deal of thoughtful care that goes into this.''
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: FINALSection: FRONTPage: A1
Index Terms: EDUCATION STANDARDIZED TESTING
Copyright (c) 1998 The Virginian-Pilot
Record Number: 9801050062
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On state funding - 12 December 1997 – Roanoke Times
The Commission on the Future of Education estimates the cost of curing much of what ails Virginia's schools at some $545 million in the next four years. That’s what it will take to embark on such initiatives as retraining teachers for new state tests, expanding programs for needy preschoolers and providing pay incentives for staff at the best schools…
Not every member of the commission endorsed the report.Richard La Pointe, state school superintendent and a Republican appointee, objected to some teacher retraining recommendations. The state already is taking those steps, he argued.
He also opposed a recommendation requiring fine arts in high school, saying it would reduce opportunities for students interested in vocational education.And he thought the commission's official cost estimates were too conservative. "I've tried to be fiscally responsible," La Pointe said after the meeting. This report "makes people feel good, but I don't think it's fiscally responsible."
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: METROSection: VIRGINIAPage: B1
Copyright (c) 1997 The Roanoke Times
Record Number: 9712120057
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On Family Life Education program - 24 May 1997 – Newport News Daily Press
The issue of counseling for elementary school pupils has spawned an ideological war among members of the State Board of Education considers tougher public school accreditation standards.The proposed standards would leave intact a requirement that elementary schools offer counseling. Some board members, however, want local school districts to decide for themselves whether to offer counseling.
Many conservatives claim counselors use inappropriate psychotherapeutic techniques that can cause more harm than good when practiced on very young children.Counselors say if such problems exist, they are rare and should be dealt with on an individual basis without obliterating a service that does a lot of good for children who often have nowhere else to turn…
…The standards were drafted by Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard La Pointe and put through a series of public hearings throughout the state. The standards recommend keeping the controversial Family Life Education program, a key component of which is sex education.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: FinalSection: StatePage: C3
Dateline: RICHMOND
Copyright 1997, 2000 Daily Press (Newport News, VA)
Record Number: 9705240077
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On High Standards - 8 APRIL 1997 – Roanoke Times
State education officials, backed by Gov. George Allen, say high statewide academic standards are needed to prevent students -including culturally and economically disadvantaged children - from becoming victims of low expectations.But some teachers, parents and school administrators question whether all students can meet high expectations - and whether the push for higher standards will cause an increase in failures and dropouts.
Richard La Pointe, state superintendent of public instruction, doubts it. The dropout rate has declined in recent years and there is no reason to believe the trend will change, he said.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: METROSection: VIRGINIAPage: C-1
Index Terms: MGR
Copyright (c) 1997 The Roanoke Times
Record Number: 9704080035
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ART AND MUSIC LOSE IN CULTURAL WAR,
EDUCATORS SAY TEACHERS WANT STATE TO RESTUDY REQUIREMENTS
Roanoke Times - 2 April 1997
Virginia high school students would have to study more history with fewer opportunities to take art and music courses if proposed new graduation requirements are approved…
… Some Roanoke County school officials are worried that the new requirements would mean students would take fewer art and music courses because they wouldn't have time for them….
…But Richard La Pointe, state superintendent of public instruction, defends the proposals, saying they would better prepare students for college and jobs. La Pointe said the standards are driven by the belief that the core subjects are more important.
The proposals are part of the effort by Gov. George Allen and the Board of Education to emphasize the basics and higher academic standards.
Students still would have the opportunity to take fine arts and vocational education courses, although there would be less time for electives, La Pointe said. State education officials said some students would begin taking required courses in the eighth grade to free up more time for electives during the later grades.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: METROSection: VIRGINIAPage: C-1
Index Terms: MGR
Copyright (c) 1997 The Roanoke Times
Record Number: 9704020025
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On Accountability - 2 March 1997 – Virginian Pilot
A foot-high stack of memos and drafts at the state Department of Education documents the thorny path to the release last week of proposed standards of accreditation for Virginia's public schools…
In a Jan. 19 memo, for example, Board President Michelle Easton advised Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard La Pointe, ``Board members are not prepared to accept either your accreditation criteria or procedures at this time.''
A response, unsigned but apparently drafted by a DOE staff member, challenged her logic. ``Easton says that this is the area of `greatest concern,' but she cannot articulate why. . .
''Other documents suggest that board members and staff disagreed on an array of issues ranging from whether or not to mandate the teaching of family-life education to the question of whether to require that a specific percentage of classroom time be spent on English, math, social studies and science.
The competing ideas reflect the complexity of the task Gov. George F. Allen has assigned his education team: finding a way to judge public schools based on the performance of their students.The documents reveal, as well, some of the internal struggles in an administration where ideology wars with pragmatism.
La Pointe and Easton both came out of the Reagan administration, and both were appointed by Allen. But insiders say their current relationship is strained by Easton's more ideological orientation.
The document La Pointe presented last week warrants analysis both for its politics and its policy. Due to be threshed over in public hearings for the next two months, the outcome can affect the direction of Virginia schools for years to come.Essentially, the proposed accreditation plan is Step 2 in an overhaul that began earlier in the Allen administration with the adoption of tougher standards for what must be taught in classrooms…
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: FINALSection: COMMENTARYPage: J5
Index Terms: Opinion
Dateline: RICHMOND
Copyright (c) 1997 The Virginian-Pilot
Record Number: 9703010014
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TOUGHER STANDARDS
THE ALLEN ADMINISTRATION HAS AVOIDED IDEOLOGICAL PITFALLS BY KEEPING PERFORMANCE PARAMOUNT.
Virginian Pilot – 2 March 1997
In setting school accreditation standards, Gov. George F. Allen has commendably steered his state Board of Education away from ideological battles and has focused, instead, on basic accountability.Many feared that the proposed standards, unveiled this week, would prompt polarizing divisions by concerning themselves with emotional issues such as family-life education and the powers of guidance counselors. Correctly, the administration left such disputes for another day.
What Superintendent Richard La Pointe instead submitted was a thoughtful accreditation plan that toughens graduation standards, aims at ending social promotion, and demands - largely through a regimen of student-achievement tests - that public schools be more accountable to the families they serve…
..One potential controversy - timing - may have been put to rest when the state board agreed to delay until the class of 2,003 a key graduation requirement. Thereafter, students will have to pass a competency test in the 11th grade before they can graduate from high school.The Virginia Education Association argued that it would be unfair to enforce the requirement earlier because a final decision on how the tests are written and graded will not be made for some time. Students and teachers deserve to know well in advance what information they're being held accountable for, the VEA said. La Pointe agreed, and the board acquiesed.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: FINALSection: COMMENTARYPage: J4
Index Terms: Editorial
Copyright (c) 1997 The Virginian-Pilot
Record Number: 9702280013
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PANEL OKS EDUCATION PLANREPORT PROPOSES $156 MILLION ANNUALLY IN NEW PROGRAMS
Richmond Times-Dispatch - December 12, 1997
A bipartisan commission yesterday approved a report that recommends up to $156 million a year in new education programs despite concerns from some members about a lack of focus and absence of detailed costs.The Commission on the Future of Public Education, also known as the Bennett Commission for its chairman, Halifax County Democratic Del. W.W. "Ted" Bennett, concluded its work after a two-year study that cost $200,000. The vote was 9-2, and two members abstaining to protest the lack of specifics about program costs.
The 34-page report places a heavy emphasis on school staff development, remediation programs and more resources for early childhood education. It also calls for the legislature to consider independent public schools, known as charter schools…
… Richard T. La Pointe, state superintendent of public instruction, voted against the report…
…However, the state's top two education officials - both Republican gubernatorial appointees - were among the members who disapproved of the report, contending it needed concrete numbers to back up its proposals and encompassed too broad a scope.recommendations don't even acknowledge why something needs to be changed..."
…Some saw the commission, the brainchild of assembly Democrats, as a way to promote the education agenda of Lt. Gov. Donald S. Beyer Jr., the party's unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate…
…La Pointe objected to about half of the recommendations, saying the new accreditation standards passed by the state Board of Education are stricter."I think the proposals we presented nine or 10 weeks ago are a far more comprehensive effort than what was being represented here, so why should I support something that's less rigorous and demanding?" La Pointe said after the 2 1/2-hour meeting.
SOURCE: NEWSBANK
Edition: CitySection: Area/StatePage: A-1
Index Terms: EDUCATION; MONEY; REPORT
Copyright 1997 Richmond Newspapers, Inc.
Record Number: 9712120256
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