NCLB
The "No Dentist Left Behind Act"If you are not exactly sure why educators resent the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT,
this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy.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 tosee 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 effectivenessof dentists with their young patients?" I asked.
"No," he responded. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How willthey do that?""It's quite simple," I said; "they will just count thenumber 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 who are the best dentists.
It will also encourage the less effective dentists to become better. Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses topractice.""That's terrible," my dentist said."What?! That's not a good attitude!" I replied.
"Don't youthink we should try to improve children's dental health in this state?""Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way todetermine who is practicing good dentistry.""Why not?" I said.
"It makes perfect sense to me.""Well, it's so obvious," he responded. "Don't you see thatdentists don't all work with the same kind of clientele? So much depends on thingsthat dentists can't control. For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagueswork in upper middle class neighborhoods and everything in between.
Many of the parents I see don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem; I don't get to do much preventive work. Many ofthe parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship betweensugar 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 muchdifference early use of fluoride can make?" "It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. I couldn'tbelieve mydentist would be so defensive. He does a great job."I am not!" he said.
"My best patients are as good asanyone's, and my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists who work in other locales 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 hewasclenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damagehis teeth. "Try furious!! In a system like this, I will end upbeing rated Average, Below Average, or worse.
My more educated patients who seethese ratings may actually believe this so-called rating actually is a true measure of my skills and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy patients. And then my cavityaverage score will get even worse!!
On top of that, how will Iattract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to join 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 aleading member of the DOC," I noted."What's the DOC?" he asked. "It's the Dental OversightCommittee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry inthis state gets improved.""Spare me," he said, "
I can't believe this. Reasonable, thinking people won't buy it." he said hopefully.The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else wouldyoumeasure good dentistry?""Come watch me work," he said. "Observe myprocedures.""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 anabsolute measure.""That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients willthink. "This can't be happening," he said despairingly."Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will helpyou some.""How?" he asked."If you're rated poorly, they'll send a dentist who is ratedexcellentto help straighten you out," I said brightly.
"You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with awealthy 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 actingprofessionally at all.""You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be likegrading schools and teachers on an average score on a test of children's progress without regard to individual differences, influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that.
Schools, parents, and legislators could never be that stupid! Why would they do something so unfairto dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools." Ijust shook my head sadly, but he had brightened."I'm going to write my representatives and senator," hesaid. "I'll use the school analogy--surely they will see the point."
He left the room with the same look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I see in the mirror so often lately.So, that's the "No Dentist Left Behind Act"If you don't understand why educators resent the NO CHILD LEFT BEHINDACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy.
It was written by John S. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for the LancasterCounty, PA School District.PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO OTHER THINKING PEOPLE.
this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy.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 tosee 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 effectivenessof dentists with their young patients?" I asked.
"No," he responded. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How willthey do that?""It's quite simple," I said; "they will just count thenumber 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 who are the best dentists.
It will also encourage the less effective dentists to become better. Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses topractice.""That's terrible," my dentist said."What?! That's not a good attitude!" I replied.
"Don't youthink we should try to improve children's dental health in this state?""Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way todetermine who is practicing good dentistry.""Why not?" I said.
"It makes perfect sense to me.""Well, it's so obvious," he responded. "Don't you see thatdentists don't all work with the same kind of clientele? So much depends on thingsthat dentists can't control. For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagueswork in upper middle class neighborhoods and everything in between.
Many of the parents I see don't bring their children to see me until there is some kind of problem; I don't get to do much preventive work. Many ofthe parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age, unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship betweensugar 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 muchdifference early use of fluoride can make?" "It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. I couldn'tbelieve mydentist would be so defensive. He does a great job."I am not!" he said.
"My best patients are as good asanyone's, and my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is going to be higher than a lot of other dentists who work in other locales 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 hewasclenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damagehis teeth. "Try furious!! In a system like this, I will end upbeing rated Average, Below Average, or worse.
My more educated patients who seethese ratings may actually believe this so-called rating actually is a true measure of my skills and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the most needy patients. And then my cavityaverage score will get even worse!!
On top of that, how will Iattract good dental hygienists and other excellent dentists to join 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 aleading member of the DOC," I noted."What's the DOC?" he asked. "It's the Dental OversightCommittee," I said, "a group made up of mostly lay persons to make sure dentistry inthis state gets improved.""Spare me," he said, "
I can't believe this. Reasonable, thinking people won't buy it." he said hopefully.The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else wouldyoumeasure good dentistry?""Come watch me work," he said. "Observe myprocedures.""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 anabsolute measure.""That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients willthink. "This can't be happening," he said despairingly."Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will helpyou some.""How?" he asked."If you're rated poorly, they'll send a dentist who is ratedexcellentto help straighten you out," I said brightly.
"You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with awealthy 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 actingprofessionally at all.""You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be likegrading schools and teachers on an average score on a test of children's progress without regard to individual differences, influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that.
Schools, parents, and legislators could never be that stupid! Why would they do something so unfairto dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools." Ijust shook my head sadly, but he had brightened."I'm going to write my representatives and senator," hesaid. "I'll use the school analogy--surely they will see the point."
He left the room with the same look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger that I see in the mirror so often lately.So, that's the "No Dentist Left Behind Act"If you don't understand why educators resent the NO CHILD LEFT BEHINDACT, this may help. If you do understand, you'll enjoy this analogy.
It was written by John S. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for the LancasterCounty, PA School District.PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG TO OTHER THINKING PEOPLE.