If you are an educator or know anything about education please read this. It is a very interesting read. My Mom is an educator as well as many of her friends. If you are not an educator and know nothing of the educational system please don't flame the post but do comment. Cliff's notes at bottom.
Written by J. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for
the Lancaster County School District.
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 neediest 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."
"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading
schools and teachers on an average score on a test of children's
progress without 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 senator," 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 see in the mirror so often lately.
Cliff's Notes: Government has no clue when it comes to the educational system. Politicians in far away places are enacting rules and laws that are unjust and ridiculous; they will eventually destroy the educational system.
Written by J. Taylor, Superintendent of Schools for
the Lancaster County School District.
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 neediest 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."
"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading
schools and teachers on an average score on a test of children's
progress without 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 senator," 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 see in the mirror so often lately.
Cliff's Notes: Government has no clue when it comes to the educational system. Politicians in far away places are enacting rules and laws that are unjust and ridiculous; they will eventually destroy the educational system.
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