If teenagers who are 16 or older are not forced to attend classes, they might not build resentment toward teachers and fellow students. Also, they would no longer be as familiar with the school layout.
Take the GED at 16. Find a way for the motivated ones to leave early and get on with their lives. Too much wasted potential sitting in the classrooms going through the motions.
from : https://www.mytexaspublicschool.org/preparing-and-enrolling-your-child/attendance-requirements.aspx
[Texas] State law requires children to attend school each day that instruction is provided. The law applies to children ages 6–19. If you voluntarily enroll your child in prekindergarten or kindergarten before age 6, school attendance laws apply to your child, too. A person who voluntarily enrolls in or attends school after turning 19 is also required to attend for the entire period of the program of instruction.
The following are a few exceptions:
Children who are enrolled in a private or parochial school
Children who are home-schooled
Students who are 17 years old and enrolled in a GED (high school equivalency) program
Students who are 17 years old and have received a high school diploma or GED certificate
Most other students of Texas public schools must comply with the compulsory attendance law.
“We” shouldn’t keep anyone else’s children in school at all.
Beyond American History, and the very basic reading, writing and arithmetic, there should be no “public education”.
From Jan 26, 2012....
I didn’t mind. It kept me from getting drafted until I was almost 19!
No, get them in trade schools or apprenticeships... let them start working if they want... Maybe a few fundamental classes augmenting that, but I have no issues with that.
I was not fit for High Skrewel.
I tested out and went to college at 15 or the 10th grade.
My niece and nephew, twins, did the same and became doctors just 6 years later.
How about a major tax break for companies that offer apprenticeships? Even small companies. And why not allow the motivated students that want an apprenticeship start at say age 16?
I know for a fact that a kid in an apprenticeship in most of the “Trades” will come out of that with a lot better math, communication (English) and other skills than most HS grads. I also know the apprentice will be told how to find what he/she needs to advance their other skills.
I know the fad today is for the HS grad to go to University to earn a degree, no matter how worthless or to “community college” to earn an Associates Degree in skilled trades, but to me there is no course taught in any school that can beat the On Job Training an apprentice receives
High school in America is almost pointless. It’s little more than a holding pen to keep young people from competing for jobs with unionized workers. Kids who can do “college level work” should be in college. People who want to do trades should have the opportunity to pick from a laundry list of opportunities from Air Conditioning to Zoo Keeping. We could easily do this but of course the indoctrination would be much reduced.
If a kid doesn’t want to be in high school, he should not be.
There has been a recent school shooting.
School shootings often are the result of kids not liking the school environment.
In my Florida town, the contractor is the economic king.
My neighbor Johnny the roofing contractor makes more than a typical doctor.
Reading between the lines here what Obama wants is to mandate kids attend PUBLIC schools and not private schools or home schools.
Where is it 18? In MA it’s 16.
Graduation should be merit based. Demonstrate that you can do XYZ and you are approved for graduation regardless of age. Each state gets to set it’s own requirements. I would also set a minimum for college entrance but it would be higher than graduation.
I would recommend the following set as the minimum to graduate HS:
- Reading, writing and comprehension at 8th grade level
- pre Algebra
- US Constitution, how laws are created, rights and citizenship
- basic science (first aid, weather, agriculture, nutrition, computers)
- financial skills (open a checking account, loans, taxes, balance a checkbook, budget)
- Life skills (traffic laws, change a tire, comparison shopping, typing)
Lots of others but the idea here would be to get a person up to the level that they can manage their own affairs as an adult.