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trumpeterb · 12-10-2003, 01:03 PM

For those of you that are public school teachers, like myself, you may be familiar with the new "No Child Left Behind" act that has been introduced into the public education system. For those of you that are not familiar with the act, it simply states that by a certain year, every child in the school will be proficient or advanced at certain subjects. This is determined by state standardized tests. For schools that do not meet this requirement, the government will step in and start taking control of the school in some ways. Most educators think this is a load of bull, as the act does not take into account different social and economic situations, or any other situations as that goes. In other words, those students that are have learning handicaps, or perhaps are mentally deficient (retarded, ADD, etc.), are expected to perform as well on the state tests as those that are at the top of their classes. As a teacher, I know that there are currently students in my school in the 8th grade that still cannot spell their names correctly. This is not due to a lack of teacher ability....it is due to situations that are beyond the student's control. Others in that same class, who have had the same teachers, do very well. I am really getting frustrated at the fact that people with absolutely no experience in the public schools are making up laws to govern these schools. I really think these expectations are unrealistic. Here is a brief story to put it in other words.....

No Child Left Behind

This comedic parable explains in layman's terms the frustrations of this act for teachers...

If you don't understand why educators resent the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy. Be a friend to a teacher and pass this on.

The Best Dentist "Absolutely" the Best Dentist

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, so 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. It 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; so much depends on things we can't control? For example," he said, "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," he said, "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," he added, "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 couldn't believe my dentist would be so defensive. He does a great job.

"I am not!" 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. My more educated patients who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating actually is a 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 laypersons 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 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 said.

"If you're rated poorly, 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."

I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

Andy

12-10-2003, 01:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
trumpeterb Pianissimo User Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 58	New Legislation in Education For those of you that are public school teachers, like myself, you may be familiar with the new "No Child Left Behind" act that has been introduced into the public education system. For those of you that are not familiar with the act, it simply states that by a certain year, every child in the school will be proficient or advanced at certain subjects. This is determined by state standardized tests. For schools that do not meet this requirement, the government will step in and start taking control of the school in some ways. Most educators think this is a load of bull, as the act does not take into account different social and economic situations, or any other situations as that goes. In other words, those students that are have learning handicaps, or perhaps are mentally deficient (retarded, ADD, etc.), are expected to perform as well on the state tests as those that are at the top of their classes. As a teacher, I know that there are currently students in my school in the 8th grade that still cannot spell their names correctly. This is not due to a lack of teacher ability....it is due to situations that are beyond the student's control. Others in that same class, who have had the same teachers, do very well. I am really getting frustrated at the fact that people with absolutely no experience in the public schools are making up laws to govern these schools. I really think these expectations are unrealistic. Here is a brief story to put it in other words..... No Child Left Behind This comedic parable explains in layman's terms the frustrations of this act for teachers... If you don't understand why educators resent the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy. Be a friend to a teacher and pass this on. The Best Dentist "Absolutely" the Best Dentist 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, so 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. It 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; so much depends on things we can't control? For example," he said, "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," he said, "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," he added, "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 couldn't believe my dentist would be so defensive. He does a great job. "I am not!" 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. My more educated patients who see these ratings may believe this so-called rating actually is a 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 laypersons 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 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 said. "If you're rated poorly, 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." I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. Andy __________________ Bach Bb 43 Bach C 229 Bach Eb/D 229 Stomvi Elite Pic King Flugel Horn Cerveny Bb Rotary