Article published Feb 1, 2006
My Turn
Dropout bill would add burdens, take rights
By MILEVA D. LOO
For the Monitor

I went to the hearing for Senate Bill 268. People ought to be aware of the ramifications of extending mandatory attendance for students from 16 to 18 years of age.

I view this bill from an unusual vantage point. I have home-schooled for 19 years, taught or volunteered in both the public and private school systems for 15 years, been a New Hampshire Home-school Coalition representative for the Concord area for over 10 years and served as a mediator for parents and local high schools.

This bill would require those who home-school to report for two additional years and, if I interpret the amendments correctly, change your reporting agent to the district superintendent.

This process is tedious enough without the added paperwork and scrutiny required by the state. Changing reporting agencies for some could mean a more difficult time getting the home-school curriculum accepted.

In the schools, the bill would also mean an additional workload to deal with students who would ordinarily drop out. There will be more problems maintaining classroom decorum with kids angry about being forced to stay in school.

There are students in middle school already waiting to drop out, and many have created a cycle of disruption and discipline. With this law in place, the disruptive cycle would continue throughout high school.

For parents, the bill would mean another loss of control. It would preclude letting our children drop out so they can take the GED, enter the military, enter the family business or enter college early.

Education is a lifelong quest. If we make learning punitive, we will have adults who can't adapt to new technology, learn new ideas or make intelligent decisions.

At the hearing I heard a lot of talk about cost. I heard that the dropout age in New Jersey is 16, and it has the lowest dropout rate in the country. Florida has a dropout age of 18 and the highest dropout rate in the country.

If the goal of this bill is to decrease the dropout rate, perhaps the means is wrong. Rather than a new law, we need to encourage schools to look to Kearsarge Regional High School. It has the lowest dropout rate in the state, according to some Concord teachers, and the reason is a system called Choices.

The control of education is passed to the students with support from the high school staff. Helping students understand what education can do for them and letting them choose for themselves are the keys to success.

This is not a legislative problem as much as a school procedural problem. Perhaps we should invest in training people to guide our students to the love of learning. That would truly be a lifetime gift.

This bill would only serve to take away the rights of parents, make teaching more difficult, require more paperwork and administrative time and frustrate our already frustrated 16-18 year olds.

I encourage you to call, email or write our senators before the vote. I also encourage each of you to consider your role in education. Children are our future.

(Mileva D. Loo lives in Bow.)