Being in education I think this was great.Don't want to get into a debate about the" No Child Left behind" policy but this principal puts this in a different light....
No Cow Left Behind Act
(written by a principal in Vermont)
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, I 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 distract 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 will 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 Vermont.
Kenneth Remsen is principal of Underhill School in Jericho (VT).
No Cow Left Behind Act
(written by a principal in Vermont)
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, I 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 distract 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 will 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 Vermont.
Kenneth Remsen is principal of Underhill School in Jericho (VT).
