Why Would We Give Kids Permission to Ruin Their Lives?
by Lily
There are currently several states debating whether or not they should raise the age that children must attend school if they have not already graduated. These states allow children as young as 16 to make a very adult decision to drop out of school. (20 other states and the District of Columbia do not allow this).
President Obama acknowledges that laws regarding compulsory education are decisions for states and local school districts, but he has wisely used his bully pulpit to encourage them to raise the age requiring kids to go to school. I’m a teacher and a mother, and I want to echo what the President says. Raising the compulsory age for being in school is good for kids. But it’s also good for us. All of us. Whether or not you have kids in school, kids being in school is necessary for this country to succeed.
In the 1950s, the dropout rate was 50%, and presidents weren’t making speeches about it. Most of the compulsory education age laws were put in place in the days where someone who never finished high school could still find a good
