A simple google search reveals an abundance of information regarding Marc Hauser that Mr. Hilton ignored.
Mr. Hilton's praise of intellect fails to negate shoddy conduct.
This is why greater oversight of collaboratives is necessary.
How many more scandals are necessary before the State acts and heads roll?
Tainted teacher lands new job
By K.C. MYERS
September 10, 2012
BOURNE — A former Harvard psychology professor who was found to have falsified some of his research now teaches at-risk youth for the Cape Cod Collaborative.
Findings published in the Federal Register on Thursday by the Office of Research Integrity found that Marc Hauser falsified nationally funded research in six instances while working for the university.
Hauser, whose Harvard research was the subject of an internal university investigation years before the federal investigation was complete, gave up his tenured teaching position at Harvard University in July 2011, after his colleagues on the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences voted to bar him from his teaching duties, according to the Harvard Crimson.
Then, he took a part-time job as an instructional support specialist at Cape Cod Collaborative, which offers various programs for students with emotional, behavioral and intellectual challenges in cooperation with the public schools.
"He is very passionate and committed to the students, and he's made a very positive contribution to the students and the staff," said Paul Hilton, executive director of the collaborative.
Hauser has authored books and research papers, including his 2006 book published by HarperCollins, "Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong." Hauser, 52, taught in the psychology department at Harvard University from 1992 to 2011.
In 2011, he began volunteering with at-risk students in grades 5 through 12 at the Collaborative's Alternative Education Program, located at Otis Air National Guard Base.
The collaborative's board of directors voted to hire him for 20 hours a week beginning in January and his hours have been increased to nearly full-time, Hilton said.
Hauser is one of about 30 staff working with between 60 and 70 students with emotional or behavioral and/or learning disabilities, Hilton added.
When hired, Hauser was up-front about the questions regarding his research, the federal investigation, and his reasons for leaving Harvard, Hilton said.
"Marc let us know what was happening," Hilton said.
But since the collaborative works directly with children and is not involved with research, the investigation was not relevant, Hilton said.
Hauser has a Ph.D. but doesn't need any other certification for the duties he performs at the collaborative, Hilton said.
The Office of Research Integrity found Hauser engaged in research misconduct in experiments supported by the National Center for Research Resources, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
The misconduct involved his research with monkeys in the study of cognition and moral psychology.
Hauser did not admit or deny the misconduct, according to the Federal Register, but he entered into a voluntary settlement agreement to resolve the matter. He agreed to several restrictions for three years, including having any of his U.S. public health service-supported research supervised, and to exclude himself from serving in an advisory capacity on boards or committees involving public health supported services.
Hauser, who could not be reached for comment, last week issued a prepared statement to several publications, including the Harvard Crimson.
"I tried to do too much, teaching courses, running a large lab of students, sitting on several editorial boards, directing the Mind, Brain and Behavior Program at Harvard, conducting multiple research collaborations, and writing for the general public," he stated in the Crimson. "I let important details get away from my control, and as head of the lab, I take responsibility for all errors made within the lab, whether or not I was directly involved."
Hilton called Hauser, "a remarkable intellect" and an "extraordinary individual."
"The quality of his work is remarkable," he added.
1 comment:
Mr. Hilton is putting the CCC at risk by supporting the employment of a known academic cheat. According to 218 comments by his peers in "The Harvard Crimson" there is more to the story regarding Dr. Hauser's questionable ethics than was reported in the Cape Cod Times. To date he has refused to admit his personal culpability or to address the specific charges levied against him.
What is Mr. Hilton thinking by publicly defending a teacher of questionable character in a publicly funded school for "at risk" kids? What if hypothetically Dr. Hauser, a prolific writer who publishes articles and books on Brain and Behavior Programs, chooses to study and publish findings on CCC students? How closely is Mr. Hilton supervising this disgraced academic in his activities at his collaborative?
I would hope that the State Board of Education is taking an active role in the oversight of this case? Mr. Hilton should realize that we the taxpayers who fund our schools are actively concerned about any teacher with a questionable professional background. Having a PhD on board should not dazzle Mr. Hilton when considering an employee's character, especially one who has been so publicly disgraced.
As Middleboro Review has rightfully pointed out, there is abundant information regarding Dr. Hauser's dubious practices available on the internet for Mr. Hilton's and his Board of Director's consideration. They may want to reconsider this individual's appointment rather than stake their personal reputations in defending him.
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