No Dentist Left Behind
The "No Child Left Behind" law passed by President Bush a few years ago have begun a nightmare for many educators, administrations, school districts and states.
It is a law I believe that was developed without consideration for ALL types of students....heres a paraody of it that may help some of you understand it more....
My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget
> checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never
> hurts me, and I've got all my teeth.
>
> When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard
> about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.
>
> "Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of
> dentists with their young patients?" I said.
>
> "No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"
> "It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of
> cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to
> determine a dentist's rating.
>
> Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average,
> and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best
> dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to
> get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose
> their licenses to practice."
>
> "That's terrible," he said.
> "What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we
> should try to improve children's dental health in this state?"
>
> "Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is
> practicing good dentistry."
>
> "Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."
> "Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't
> all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we
> can't control?
>
> For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of
> patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in
> upper middle-class neighborhoods.
>
> Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me
> until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much
> preventive work. Also many of the parents I serve let their kids eat
> way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents
> who understand the relationship between sugar and decay.
>
> To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water which is
> untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much
> difference early use of fluoride can make?"
>
> "It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that
> you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great
> job, and you
> needn't fear a little accountability."
>
> "I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as
> anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count
> is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to
> work where I am needed most."
>
> "Don't' get touchy," I said.
> "Touchy?" he said.
> His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and
> unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth.
>
> "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated
> average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have
> who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual
> measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist.
>
> They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy
> patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of
> that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent
> dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"
>
> "I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making
> and stonewalling won't improve dental health'...I am quoting from a
> leading member of the DOC," I noted.
>
> "What's the DOC?" he asked.
> "It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of
> mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets
> improved."
>
> "Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't
> buy it," he said hopefully.
>
> The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you
> measure good dentistry?"
>
> "Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."
> "That's too complicated, expensive and time- consuming," I said.
> "Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom
> line. It's an absolute measure."
>
> "That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will
> think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.
>
> "Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."
> "How?" he asked.
> "If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated
> excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly.
>
> "You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele
> to show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which
> I have probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!"
>
> "There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at
> all."
>
> "You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading
> schools and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's
> progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home,
> the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something
> so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to
> schools."
>
> I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to
> write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school
> analogy. Surely they will see the point."
>
> He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed
> anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.
>
> If you don't understand why educators resent the recent federal NO
> CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll
> enjoy this analogy, which was forwarded by John S. Taylor,
> Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster County, PA, School
> District.
It is a law I believe that was developed without consideration for ALL types of students....heres a paraody of it that may help some of you understand it more....
My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget
> checkups. He uses the latest techniques based on research. He never
> hurts me, and I've got all my teeth.
>
> When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard
> about the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.
>
> "Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of
> dentists with their young patients?" I said.
>
> "No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"
> "It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of
> cavities each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to
> determine a dentist's rating.
>
> Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below average,
> and unsatisfactory. That way parents will know which are the best
> dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to
> get better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose
> their licenses to practice."
>
> "That's terrible," he said.
> "What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we
> should try to improve children's dental health in this state?"
>
> "Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is
> practicing good dentistry."
>
> "Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."
> "Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't
> all work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we
> can't control?
>
> For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of
> patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in
> upper middle-class neighborhoods.
>
> Many of the parents I work with don't bring their children to see me
> until there is some kind of problem, and I don't get to do much
> preventive work. Also many of the parents I serve let their kids eat
> way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents
> who understand the relationship between sugar and decay.
>
> To top it all off, so many of my clients have well water which is
> untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how much
> difference early use of fluoride can make?"
>
> "It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that
> you, my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great
> job, and you
> needn't fear a little accountability."
>
> "I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as
> anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count
> is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose to
> work where I am needed most."
>
> "Don't' get touchy," I said.
> "Touchy?" he said.
> His face had turned red, and from the way he was clenching and
> unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his teeth.
>
> "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated
> average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have
> who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual
> measure of my ability and proficiency as a dentist.
>
> They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy
> patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top of
> that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and other excellent
> dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"
>
> "I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making
> and stonewalling won't improve dental health'...I am quoting from a
> leading member of the DOC," I noted.
>
> "What's the DOC?" he asked.
> "It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of
> mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets
> improved."
>
> "Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't
> buy it," he said hopefully.
>
> The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you
> measure good dentistry?"
>
> "Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."
> "That's too complicated, expensive and time- consuming," I said.
> "Cavities are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom
> line. It's an absolute measure."
>
> "That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will
> think. This can't be happening," he said despairingly.
>
> "Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."
> "How?" he asked.
> "If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated
> excellent to help straighten you out," I said brightly.
>
> "You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele
> to show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which
> I have probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!"
>
> "There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at
> all."
>
> "You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading
> schools and teachers on an average score made on a test of children's
> progress with no regard to influences outside the school, the home,
> the community served and stuff like that. Why would they do something
> so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to
> schools."
>
> I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to
> write my representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school
> analogy. Surely they will see the point."
>
> He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed
> anger that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.
>
> If you don't understand why educators resent the recent federal NO
> CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll
> enjoy this analogy, which was forwarded by John S. Taylor,
> Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster County, PA, School
> District.