Editorial: More graduates, not captives

One of the automatic applause lines in President Obama’s recent State of the Union message came when he called for lowering America’s high school dropout rate by making it mandatory that students attend school until age 18.

Since North Carolina is among states that still allow students to leave school at age 16, this is of particular relevance here. Although the figures released Thursday show slight improvement in the dropout rates for Rowan-Salisbury schools and the state, the rate rose in Cabarrus County and Kannapolis, evidence of a stubborn problem with its roots deep in a more agrarian, mill-driven culture.

There’s broad agreement that reducing the dropout rate has benefits for individuals as well as society at large, ranging from higher lifetime earnings to lower crime rates. The U.S., which once had the world’s highest high school graduation rate, has now slipped to No. 18, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

But is raising the dropout age a real remedy?

A 2010 policy briefing by researchers Becky Agostino and Alex Reese of Duke University suggests the results aren’t clearcut in states that have raised the compulsory attendance age to 18. Some states experienced a slight improvement in high school completion rates, but others saw little or no decline in dropouts. A couple — Texas and Virginia, for example — actually saw dropout rates increase.

“Preventing dropout and promoting graduation may not be the same goal,” Agostino and Reese note. At a minimum, education officials need to ensure that policy changes raising the compulsory age include support that both funds enforcement measures as well as academic interventions that make sure students aren’t simply captive subjects for two more years. Being present doesn’t equal making progress.

It’s not just that raising the compulsory age may be ineffective. It also comes with an estimated cost of $373 million over five years. Those added costs could be especially burdensome for school systems already struggling with budget shortfalls, and it’s only a worthwhile investment if it pays off in higher longterm graduation rates. Is it wiser to raise the dropout age — or lower our aim and focus more efforts on younger at-risk students?

The N.C. Board of Education has previously advocated raising the dropout age. While reducing dropouts should be a priority, a higher compulsory attendance age won’t magically boost graduation rates. Policymakers should carefully consider the costs and consequences before enacting this change. As the Duke researchers conclude, “further analysis of evidence-based dropout prevention strategies” is needed to determine the most effective and efficient solutions.

Read the full briefing at http://ncpeo.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Impact-of-Raising-the-Age-of-Compulsory-School-Attendance_BA-AR.pdf