Thanks to Larry James, I just spent the better part of an hour getting better acquainted with the 8-year-old Process Access Dallas, a coalition of thousands of physicians and more than a dozen hospitals -- and many, many more working under the auspices of the Dallas County Medical Society -- offering health care to Dallas's working uninsured. The reason: Dr. Jim Walton at Baylor, who runs the operation, has written an update on PAD's success: "Volunteer Provider Network Cares for Uninsured Working Poor, Leading to Lower Utilization and Costs, Better Outcomes, and Positive Return on Investment." In short, he writes: It works! And then some:
The program improved management of diabetes, reduced ED visits and hospital days, and generated significant cost savings and a positive return on investment, with $3 in savings for every $1 spent on the program.Now, to education -- or what the State Board of Educations calls education. I've received numerous invites to join 1,000,000 Against the Texas School Board's Version of History. So I went over for a look-see and found a link to the Texas Tribute's annotated version of the high school U.S. History standards, best thing I've ever found on that particular site. Then, long story short, I found this trio of missives to The New York Times regarding its editorial on the subject earlier this week. This one, from Oakland, was particularly inspiring:
When I was a 10th-grade American history student in a Dallas public high school in 1964, J. Edgar Hoover's "Masters of Deceit," an anti-Communist tract, was required reading. Our teacher put it on the syllabus, as she was required to do, and then never discussed it.Now, when's my spring break?
There are ways for intelligent teachers to deal with a stupid curriculum mandated by conservative ideologues. I hope that Texas teachers are carrying on my teacher's practical pedagogy.
