Will raising the age, lower the dropout rate?
Adults know you won’t get far without a high school diploma. Dropouts earn less, have poorer healthcare, and are more likely to end up in prison, on public assistance, or worse. Yet every year, too many kids quit school. According to the DESE, overall 11% of LHS students dropped out of school in 2008; that number jumps to 19% for Latinos and 22% for special education students. I attended a policy discussion today, sponsored by the Rennie Center, to hear opposing views about whether making kids stay in school until age 18 will reduce dropout rates.
On May 15, the state’s Graduation and Dropout Prevention and Recovery Commission will make recommendations on the compulsory school age as well as other issues. Massachusetts is one of 23 states that allows students to drop out at age 16 (19 states mandate attendance until 18 years; and 8 states mandate until 17). According to the policy brief presented today, there is no evidence that raising the age will reduce the dropout rate or that keeping it at 16 helps. What did become clear to me, however, is that allowing kids to quit at 16 sets a low expectation and sends the wrong message. (It’s not an option for my children. Who would want it for their teen?) Then again, if the youngster is failing and miserable, what good is another two years of forced schooling? Those who favor raising the age limit, see it as a tool that will only be effective if coupled with strong supports and services to engage youth in their education—including early identification and intervention, and alternative programs. But that is the crux of the issue: In this fiscal climate, how can we force disengaged students to stay in school longer when schools don’t have the resources to meet their needs now? Despite data identifying at-risk students based on attendance, grades and behavior—information districts know—most schools struggle with how to provide additional supports to those students given the time, staffing, and revenue limits they face. And that doesn’t even touch on the issue of disinterest and disconnect many of these students feel. The Commission’s recommendations will be interesting, but equally important is who will pay for them.