Page 7 - ARUBA TODAY

A7
U.S. NEWS Tuesday 6 June 2017
American Living:

Several states moving to expand age kids must be in school

lawmakers have pushed allow teens to drop out at
for changes that would age 16.
stretch the compulsory The critics are advocates
school attendance age, in of homeschooling and
some states requiring chil- limited-government who
dren to be in the classroom say that parents should
for as many as 13 years, have ultimate authority
from age 5 to 18. over their children, includ-
Arizona, Delaware, Florida, ing when and how their
Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, kids are educated. Home-
New Jersey, South Caro- schoolers contend that
lina, Montana, Mississippi the children who are not
and North Carolina also going to school are likely
have considered the issue in unstructured programs
this year. at home that aren’t regis-
Nearly all states require free tered with the local school
education to be offered districts and that not every
by age 5, though in half
the country, children don’t child is suited for a paper-
have to start school until and-pencil classroom con-
they’re 6 years old. There’s finement.
mandatory kindergarten in “I can appreciate it and I
several states, while Penn- can appreciate the need
An inside view of a decommissioned Clark County School District bus in the Northwest Bus Yard in sylvania and Washington for it, but if it’s available, I
Las Vegas. More than a dozen states are trying to take steps to keep kids in school longer, from don’t require attendance don’t see why it needs to
making kindergarten mandatory to raising the legal dropout age, but it’s not an easy sell. be mandatory for people
(Jeff Scheid/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) until age 8. These state laws
— some more than a cen- like me because you’re
By SALLY HO Olivia Diaz, is the message dropout age to 18. tury old — began as a tool taking away my rights,”
Associated Press that the state sometimes In the past decade, both to fight truancy. The status said England, the mom
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A dozen mocked as the “Missis- Republican and Democrat quo generally has been to against the Nevada bill. q
states are trying to keep sippi of the West” is taking
children in school longer, seriously its mission to turn
from making kindergarten things around in its glaringly
mandatory to raising the deficient schools.
legal drop-out age. But it’s “I believe every child de-
not an easy sell. serves a fair and equal
Nevada is among the shot at the American
states this year that have dream and that starts with
or are considering propos- school,” said Diaz, the bill
als to stretch the compul- sponsor who is also a Las
sory attendance age. A Vegas-area teacher. “I just
bill that would require chil- think it’s going to be a phil-
dren in Nevada to start osophical argument and
school at age 5 was met we’re just going to have
with such resistance that to agree to disagree. As a
it was amended to age 6. teacher, and as an assem-
Current state law sets the blywoman who represents
age at 7. The proposal is a very at-risk population,
likely to go nowhere, as the this is fundamental.”
Nevada legislature is set to The conversation among
adjourn Monday. advocates is often tinged
“If you’re really concerned with this kind of anxiety
about kids dropping out, I about economic disparity.
don’t think making kinder- Their debate is centered as
garten mandatory is really a moral imperative, extol-
the heart of the issue,” said ling research on the impor-
Maggie England, who op- tance of access to educa-
poses the Nevada bill and tion, particularly for poor
wants to homeschool her and disadvantaged chil-
three children. dren. Lately, education ac-
Supporters admit that it cess has also seen a height-
wouldn’t have much of ened, urgent interest on
an impact on enrollment the national stage, ranging
numbers — and therefore from college tuition to day-
school budgets. State of- care and pre-kindergarten.
ficials estimate that about The compulsory school age
95 percent of 6-year-olds issue gained peak momen-
are already learning in a tum when then-President
formal capacity. What’s Barack Obama in his 2012
to be gained, then, said State of the Union address
Nevada Assemblywoman urged states to raise the