Re: CHEATING IN SCHOOL

Posted by Steven f/AZ on March 08, 2008 at 20:58:13 from (24.121.155.84):

In Reply to: CHEATING IN SCHOOL posted by Nat on March 08, 2008 at 11:42:35:

Just another way of looking at NCLB.

No Dentist Left Behind

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

Replies:

• Re: CHEATING IN SCHOOL M Nut 23:59:19 03/08/08 (0)
• Re: CHEATING IN SCHOOL Walt davies 21:29:21 03/08/08 (1)
  • Re: CHEATING IN SCHOOL Janicholson 05:54:30 03/09/08 (0)

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