A press release I received this morning says State Representative Jason Bartlett (D-Bethel, Danbury , Redding) is helping sponsor a bill that would increase the age a student is allowed to withdraw from school from 16 to 17 by 2010 and from 17 to 18 by 2011. Current law stipulates that a student can withdraw from school with a parent or guardian’s consent at the age of 16.The legislation, House Bill 5769 – An Act Concerning School Drop Out Rates, currently has a growing list of nineteen sponsors.
This bill, if it becomes law, will help more students have a chance to graduate high school and avoid falling behind. Currently, it's too easy for a student to drop out. In our current economic climate, as well as when the economy recovers, the expected need for a work force with a higher minimum education will increase. By ensuring these kids have a better chance to finish school, we'll reduce the need for long term assistance in many cases. And this law will give educators more incentive to keep the kids in school.
For a dissenting opinion I was looking for a clip of Judge Smails (Ted Knight) in Caddyshack saying, "Well, the world needs ditch diggers too!", but I couldn't find one. You get the point though.
BTW, Caddyshack is probably the best litmus test for a sense of humor there is. If someone doesn't find that movie hysterical, they need to drink a big steaming cup of "the funny".
7 comments:
The only job skill a resident of CT will need once the legislature drives whats left of the higher paying employers out? "Do you want fries with you order?"
Bob, I don't like this bill.
If a kid wants to get his high school diploma, he or she has every opportunity to. This isn't going to improve anyone's chances of finishing school.
My belief is that by the age of 16, a teenager has made up his mind, regardless of anyone else, whether or not he or she wants to do the school work to graduate. I mean if educators could somehow make these kids graduate, they would.
My fear is that this well-intentioned plan will make teachers and administrators waste time and energy babysitting people who don't want to learn.
TBCT
I'm sure there are some kids who gave up well before 16 and only put in the time until they could quit.
But I'm hoping the law will give the schools further incentive to try harder to give the kids a basic education. The students who want an education but are having a difficult time won't feel that there's an option to duck out before they get a diploma.
And the revised graduation rate formula will also benefit the kids by making educators report more accurately how many kids leave school and don't finish adult education and receive a diploma. By tying in the school's performance to their funding, you'll likely see more kids finishing school.
This law makes a lot more sense to me than NCLB.
The schools are not the problem here! Every one wants to drive. All you have to do is require that any one that wants a permanent drivers license produce a high school diploma.Driving is a privilege not a right.
I don't see how raising the drop out age higher, since u are just putting the teenagers in more pain that are looking to drop out. There is a reason they are trying to drop out and u are just making it so they are unable to do what they are trying so hard to do.
i am a 16 year old student and i dont agree with this . i goto ACE and im still having problems here . i want to drop so i can goto werace , but i cant because of this bill . its not like every student wants to drop out and not goto school , some of us just need a different enviroment to work in .
I would imagine if a student wants to leave school to attend another school, there would probably be some kind of exception for it.
I don't know the current status of the bill, but you should contact Rep. Bartlett yourself to ask him about it. His office number is 860.240.8585 or 800.842.8267 and his email is Jason.Bartlett@cga.ct.gov
Let me know if you what you find out from him.
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