DC9 CREW DID NOT COMPLY WITH A XING RESTR.

Narrative

STUDENT FO IN IOE WAS FLYING ACFT ENRTE FROM STL TO RIC. WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS 15 MI W OF FLAT ROCK (FAK) AT 9000 FT. STUDENT MISCALCULATED WHEN TO START DOWN; RESULTING IN LATE START OF DSCNT. I TOLD HIM HE WAS BEHIND THE DSCNT PROFILE AND TO EXPEDITE DSCNT. HE ALSO MISCALCULATED DURING THE DSCNT AND DID NOT REALIZE THAT WE WERE FALLING FURTHER BEHIND THE DSCNT PROFILE. I TOLD HIM TO USE THE SPOILERS AND INCREASE THE RATE OF DSCNT. I PICKED UP THE MIKE TO ADVISE ATC THAT WE WOULD MISS THE XING ALT BUT HAD TO CAUTION THE FO ON THE USE OF THE SPOILERS. WHILE WE WERE DOING THIS THE CTLR HANDED US OFF TO APCH CTL. I DECIDED TO RPT THAT WE WOULD BE HIGH TO APCH CTL SINCE WE WERE LEAVING THE CTR CTLR'S AIRSPACE ANYWAY. AS I WAS SWITCHING FREQS I HAD TO STOP TO CORRECT THE FO AGAIN ON EXPEDITING THE DSCNT; AND ANSWER A QUESTION. I MIS-DIALED THE FREQ; THEN HAD TO WAIT FOR THE NEW CTLR TO FINISH A XMISSION; THEN MY FIRST XMISSION WAS BLOCKED BY ANOTHER ACFT. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO XMIT AGAIN THE CTLR TOLD ME I WAS ON THE WRONG FREQ AND SENT ME BACK TO THE PREVIOUS FREQ. I WENT BACK; GOT THE CORRECT FREQ; AND BY THE TIME I GOT TO APCH WE WERE LEVEL AT 9000 FT ANYWAY. WE CROSSED OUR FIX 1000 FT HIGH; AND WERE LEVEL AT 9000 FT 5 MI LATE. THE STUDENT WAS AT THE POINT IN HIS TRAINING WHERE I HAVE TO LET HIM MAKE HIS OWN MISTAKES AND CORRECTIONS. I SHOULD HAVE INFORMED ATC EARLIER; AND BEFORE I LEFT THE CTR FREQ. THEN I WOULD NOT HAVE HAD A PROB IF THERE WAS A DELAY ESTABLISHING CONTACT ON THE NEW FREQ. ALSO; I COULD HAVE TAKEN THE AIRPLANE AND ENSURED THAT WE MADE THE XING IF ATC INDICATED THAT BEING HIGH WAS GOING TO CAUSE A CONFLICT.