To
legislate or not to legislate? States target high dropout
rate
Monday, March 20, 2006 • BY
DEANNA MARTIN • Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- Stephan Howell got in a
lot of fights in high school and was suspended so often he
couldn't get credit for some of his classes. By his senior
year, he was told he would have to stay an extra
year-and-a-half if he wanted to graduate.
"I didn't know I was that far behind,"
the 18-year-old said.
Instead of staying, Howell dropped out,
becoming one of the estimated 1 million high school students
nationwide who fail to graduate each year, according to the
Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington.
Pressured to boost graduation rates under
the federal No Child Left Behind law, school districts
nationwide are looking for ways to keep students like Howell
in the classroom.
Many are turning to lawmakers for
answers.
Indiana this month passed a bill that
would allow students under 18 to drop out only for health,
financial or legal reasons. New Hampshire's Senate gave
preliminary approval to a measure that would raise the age
at which students can drop out from 16 to 18.
Educators, lawmakers and social service
agencies say finding a solution is crucial. Studies have
found that dropouts are more likely to wind up in prison or
on public assistance than those with diplomas. And schools
can face sanctions under No Child Left Behind if their
graduation rates fall short.
But laws on school attendance can be
difficult to enforce, said Jay Smink, executive director of
the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson
University.
For example, more than two dozen states
tie student attendance or achievement to driving privileges,
according to the nonpartisan Education Commission of the
States, but Smink thinks the effects are "marginal" and that
motor vehicle departments have other things to do than track
dropouts.
Some states have backed off legislative
solutions: The South Dakota Senate in February rejected a
bill that would have forced students to stay in high school
until they graduate or turn 18, rather than 16. Opponents
said it would be counterproductive because teens who don't
want to be there cause problems for other students. Similar
legislation died in Iowa and West Virginia.
A better approach, some suggest, is to
address the reasons students drop out.
The National Dropout Prevention Center
says some students quit because they are bored, don't
perform well academically or become pregnant. Others have no
parental involvement in their education, have difficulty
connecting with teachers or chafe under strict school
attendance policies or rules about suspensions.
"It's a slow process of disengagement,"
said John Bridgeland, president and CEO of Civic
Enterprises, a public policy firm in Washington.
Indiana's bill, which Gov. Mitch Daniels
said he expects to sign, requires high schools to report
some potential dropout factors, including the numbers of
suspensions and freshmen not earning enough credits to
become sophomores. Students would be given yearly reviews of
their credits and counseled on how to catch up if they fall
behind.
The legislation also would let students
earn credit toward associate degrees while still in high
school and allow community colleges to offer high school
completion programs.
That provision might help Howell, who
earned a GED after dropping out of Ben Davis High School in
Indianapolis. He works in a factory now but wants to take
business classes and open a barbershop.
"I think it's a good idea," Howell said
of Indiana's plan.
That's a start, said state Rep. Luke
Messer, who sponsored Indiana's bill.
"We're not just going to be able to
legislate away this problem," Messer said. "It's a problem
that will be solved in the classroom with teachers, parents
and students. What we do want to do, though, is do our best
to give them the tools it takes to address this
problem."
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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