"No Cow Left Behind"
by Kenneth Remsen,
principal of
As a principal facing the task of figuring out all
the complexities of the No Child Left Behind legislation and its impact on
education, I have decided that there is a strong belief that testing students
is the answer to bringing about improvements in student performance.
Since testing seems to be a cornerstone to improving
performance, I don't understand why this principle isn't applied to other
businesses that are not performing up to expectations. I was thinking about the
problem of falling milk prices and wondering why testing cows wouldn't be
effective in bringing up prices since testing students is going to bring up
test scores.
The federal government
should mandate testing all cows every year starting at age 2. Now,! know that it will take time out
of the farmers' necessary work to do this testing every year and that it may be
necessary to spend inordinate amounts of money on the testing equipment, but
that should not detract us from what must be done.
I'm sure there are plenty of
statistics to show what good milk producing performance looks like and the
characteristics of cows who achieve this level of performance. It should,
therefore, be easy to figure out the characteristics necessary to meet this
standard.
We will begin our testing by
finding out which cows now meet the standard, which almost meet the standard,
which meet the standard with honors, and which show little evidence of achievement.
Points will be assigned in
each category and it will be necessary to achieve a certain average score. If
this score is not achieved, the Department of Agriculture will send in experts
to give advice for improvement. If improvements do not occur over a couple of
years, the state will take over your farm or even force you to sell.
Now, I'm sure farms have a
mix of cows in the barn but it is important to remember that every cow can meet
the standard. There should be no exceptions and no excuses. I don't want to
hear about the cows that just came to the barn from the farm down the road that
didn't provide the proper nutrition or a proper living environment.
All cows need to meet the
standard.
Another key factor will be
the placement of a highly qualified farmer in each barn. I know many of you
have been farming for many years but it wilt be
necessary for all farmers to become certified. This will mean some more
paperwork and testing on your knowledge of cows, but in the end this will lead
to the benefit of all.
It will also be necessary to
allow barn choice for the cows. If cows are not meeting the standard in certain
farms, they will be allowed to go to the barn of their choice. Transportation
might become an issue but it is critical that cows be allowed to leave their
low-performing barns. This will force low-performing farms to meet the standard
or else they will simply go out of business.
Some small farms will
probably go out of business as a result of this new legislation. Simply put,
the cost per cow is too high. As taxpayers, we cannot be expected to foot the
bill to subsidize farms with dairy compacts. Even though no one really knows
what the ideal cost is to keep cows content, the Legislature will set a cost
per cow.
Expenditures too far above
this cost will be penalized. Since everyone knows that there are economies of
scale, small farms will probably be forced to close and those cows will merge
into larger farms.
Some farmers may be upset
that I proclaim to know what is best for these cows, but I certainly consider
myself capable of making these recommendations. I grew up next to a farm and I
drink milk. I hope you will consider this advice in the spirit it is given and
I hope you will agree that the "no cow left behind" legislation may
not be best for a small state like
From NSTA MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The Science Education Summit has been scheduled for The Science Education
Summit is a high-profile day of speakers and activities that will kick off
the science portion of the Department of Education's Mathematics and
Science Initiative. The Initiative focuses on achieving three
interdependent goals: engaging the public in recognizing the need for
better mathematics and science education for every child in our nation's
schools; initiating a campaign to recruit, prepare, train, and retain
teachers with strong backgrounds in mathematics and science; and developing
a research base to improve our knowledge of what boosts student learning in
mathematics and science. The activities
during ESTME Week serves as an opportunity for the nation's schools
to focus on math and science education. The week will include activities
for students, parents, and teachers presented by participating
organizations. Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians will be encouraged
to visit K–12 classrooms, and many federal agencies, private corporations,
and members of the scientific community are planning activities nationwide.
Watch for more information on the Science Education Summit and ESTME Week
in future issues of NSTA Express.
