by Jon Kuhl
President Obama offered a proposal during his State of the Union address on Tuesday night concerning the age at which high school students are allowed to drop out. But in doing so, he left an important question unanswered: How do we pay for it?
“We also know that when students aren’t allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every state to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.” – President Obama
The president may find partners in the states as he works to pursue this goal. Sharing information, providing technical assistance, and opening up further dialogue are all measures states would welcome. Indeed, NCSL’s Task Force on School Dropout Prevention and Recovery found evidence suggesting that raising the maximum compulsory school age above 16 curtails dropout rates and produces other positive results.
- Compulsory school age requirements continue to be a hot topic for state lawmakers. In 2011, at least six states—Alaska, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana and Rhode Island—considered legislation to raise the “dropout” age to 18, although only Rhode Island did so. To date, 21 states and the District of Columbia require students to stay in school until the age of 18. Almost all include exceptions for mental illness and physical disability, or with parent permission.
- According to data from a May 2011 National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report, the high school graduation rate for the 2008-09 school year was 75.5 percent.
- State and local governments pay for the vast majority of K-12 education, while the federal government contributes around 10 percent.