From: Kathleen Klumb [k_klumb@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2004 6:55 PM
To: ELL; ELL; ELL; ELL; Marcia Avner; ELL; ELL; ELL; Kate Krueger; ELL;
krodriguez@themlc.org; ELL; ELL; ELL; ELL; Bonnie Johnson
Subject: Fwd: No Dentist Left Behind Act

I so often send serious info to read... this is
serious but in a light-hearted way
enjoy.  
> 
> You may have read this before but it's just so
> relevant!
> 
> A friend shared this with me. Maybe it will help
> some people to better
> understand our frustration.
> 
> No Dentist Left Behind Act 
> 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. It's
> currently being sent around the email circuits; it
> was written by John S.
> Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for the Lancaster
> County, PA School
> District. (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. Poor dentists who don't
> improve could losetheir 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, 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; 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 lay persons to make sure dentistry in this
> state gets improved." 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------
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=====
I know that mothers are the first teachers that children know. Maya Angelou

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