Poll: Should kids be allowed to drop out at 16?

[chronobreak]

Just saw an interesting news report today about my state raising the age you can drop out of school from 16 to 18. Here is the article, if anyone is interested: http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/push-to-raise-massachusetts-dropout-age

If it happens, Massachusetts will be the twentieth state to raise the minimum age. Personally, I think you can make whatever decisions you want once you turn 18, but 16 years old is very young to allow children to leave schooling, unless under extreme circumstances. I would argue that those are crucial years to be in a structured social atmosphere. On the other hand, in most states I believe you can work when you are 16, and I'm sure there are people on this forum that would argue that people are as mature at 16 as 18.

So, what say everyone on this issue? What is the age in your state, and do you agree with it? Do you think this would be an effective tool in curbing dropout rates?

 

[Worgen]

no, a decent education is a requirment for a self sustaining country, granted public education varies widely but without an informed public we get.... well fox news

 

[Julianking93]

I don't care what people decide to do.

It's their life, if they want to drop out, let them.

Personally, I got my GED and I'm now in college. I hated high school with a fiery passion and decided to get the fuck out.

 

[Motti]

I think it is a reasonable age, school simply doesn't suit some people and they often learn more once they're out of school than when they were in it. Or maybe this is just my wishful thinking and I want to get out of this hell-hole some people call school.

 

[IrishBerserker]

Sure, if they want to ruin their lives by not getting a High School diploma, let them.

 

[chronobreak]

I don't care what people decide to do.

It's their life, if they want to drop out, let them.

Fair enough, but you should also realize that what other people choose to do en masse will eventually come around to affect you as well, so while it may seem prudent to have no opinion, in reality it may be wise to give the problem of rising dropout rates more credit, no?

I'm sorry I didn't add an "I don't care" option, but I figured if someone really didn't care they wouldn't respond to the question.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

I think they should be allowed to drop out whenever they want to (as unreasonable as it sounds). I just graduated college with a degree in business and I can't find a decent job anywhere. The reason for this is because everyone was required to stay in school, regardless of how they applied themselves, how intelligent they were, and whether they wanted to be there in the first place. A high school degree is meaningless in this country. So is an associates degree. The only reason a bachelors degree has any value is because those last two years cost way more money than the first six. It's just an arbitrary socioeconomic barrier to keep the poor down and raise up the rich. Same goes for the masters degree.

Personally, I hated school. I just wish all the time and effort I put in were worth more now than they are. If fewer people graduated high school, there would be better jobs for people who did.

 

[Julianking93]

I don't care what people decide to do.

It's their life, if they want to drop out, let them.

Fair enough, but you should also realize that what other people choose to do en masse will eventually come around to affect you as well, so while it may seem prudent to have no opinion, in reality it may be wise to give the problem of rising dropout rates more credit, no?

I'm sorry I didn't add an "I don't care" option, but I figured if someone really didn't care they wouldn't respond to the question.

I see what you mean, and I took that into consideration when I posted, but it is their life, and they're gonna do what they want with it. This is exactly the same as my argument on the "Age of Consent" thread. If people are gonna drop out, they're gonna drop out no matter what the law says.

I knew a kid who dropped out in 7th grade.

 

[LeonLethality]

this thread seems almost low blow-ish I am a dropout (sort of its a long story but long story short until the end of this semester I count as one)

 

[Trivun]

In the UK you can join the military at age 16. So I think that the compulsory age for school should be 16 provided you join the military and get A-Levels or equivalent whilst in the military, or else you stay in school until 18. We have too many people dropping out at 16 and either scrounging off the state or trying to get a job and failing because they're too young. Every UK child should have to stay on unless they join the Armed Forces. That's my view for the UK, anyway. As far as other countries go, I'm not getting involved in a debate with people from those countries.

 

[chronobreak]

this thread seems almost low blow-ish I am a dropout (sort of its a long story but long story short until the end of this semester I count as one)

I make no assumptions about the future prospects of people that drop out, the main issue is simply regarding the age that kids should be allowed by the state to leave their schooling. I'm aware there are good and bad stories on both sides of the fence, but that is not the concern of the thread, really. I personally wish everyone luck in whatever direction they choose to take their life.

 

[Say Anything]

I want to say I'm disappointed in these responses but to be honest I'm not surprised.

You shouldn't be able to drop out of school, period. It's not fun and some people can honestly be terrible but there's always other options. It's true when people say that we're gradually getting more and more stupid as the years go by, and to be honest there's a lot of things to blame.

Then again, the kids that usually drop out are often terrible people who make it more difficult for those of us who want to learn, so if you want to make room for my type then I guess it'll just put me further ahead in the end.

EDIT: and as the above poster mentioned, dropping out doesn't mean the end of life, but to be honest more times than not it will not be helping anything in the slightest.

 

[LeonLethality]

this thread seems almost low blow-ish I am a dropout (sort of its a long story but long story short until the end of this semester I count as one)

I make no assumptions about the future prospects of people that drop out, the main issue is simply regarding the age that kids should be allowed by the state to leave their schooling. I'm aware there are good and bad stories on both sides of the fence, but that is not the concern of the thread, really. I personally wish everyone luck in whatever direction they choose to take their life.

the fact that you question it means you have some sort of uneasiness towards it am I wrong? and for me it was a good thing I was missing a lot of school because I didnt give a damn so I dropped out and got myself a job (my mom made me pay rent) and now that I have these responsibilities I will attend school considering if I had the same attitude towards my job as I did my school I would be fired

 

[zen5887]

I think so, assuming they have a good reason to drop out. Military, they have a job, they have an apprenticeship or are a prodigy are go to university.

 

[Ziadaine_v1legacy]

Depends. Its all maturity. If you've got everything planned out, ie: I'll drop out at after year 10, do a back-course into Uni for 3 years then onto a Diploma etc" then im in full support. If your just dropping out without ANY plans for the future then... Good Luck.

 

[chronobreak]

the fact that you question it means you have some sort of uneasiness towards it am I wrong?

It is my personal opinion that 18 is a better age to leave school, but that is certainly not to say someone cannot make something of their life if they are allowed the option of leaving earlier. Once again I will say, this thread is not about the future of people who make this decision, rather if the decision should be allowed to be made at either 16 or 18, or hell, if they are out there, people who think you should be able to drop out after second grade. My advice to you, because you are apparantly doing well with yourself, would be to not take a thread by someone you have never met and probably never will too personally. I certainly did not have your situation in mind when I made the thread.

 

[Pimppeter2]

Yes, If they don't want to learn by the time they're 18, then they clearly set on the worng path already

 

[lostclause]

If you have no interest in continuing schooling and you have a career planned (i.e. an apprenticeship or something similar) there is no real reason to hold you there. Also this is likely to hurt those who are being accelerated (delay their going to uni) and cost a fair chunk of money by having to run more classes for those who would have otherwise left. However I do believe that some people drop out for no good reason and this should be prevent but not simply putting up a restriction. There should be an appeal clause (or what ever you call it) for those who wish to leave early and will not be hindered by doing so.

 

[ajb924]

I think they should, the people who want to drop out are the douchebags, if they want to drop out i say thank god.

This is not toward anyone who has dropped out, just the people I have seen drop out over the years. I mean no offense to anyone.

 

[Treblaine]

Lets not have any illusions, this is a parents decision since at 16 they are still technically children and I think for America and UK which are struggling to compete with India and China, combined population over 2 billion who are churning out millions of college graduates and with globalisation the West MUST emphasise education to this generation which means dropping out at 16 is a luxury we cannot afford.

But at the same time, this measure alone is not enough.

One reason 16+ education can be so effective is the only people who attend are those who really want to attend, those who have a rive to learn.

Some 16 year old who just want to get on with their life and are happy delivering pizza and not starting a family or ever spending much (that in itself is bad for the economy if too many do that), forcing them to attend classes they don't want to is not going to spread teachers thinner around but that frustration of those 16-18 who want to just start their life could cause more trouble disrupting classes.

I think education from 16-18 should be compulsory but not necessarily in schools, perhaps an apprenticeship or some way they can balance their urge to get a job and earn a wage with govt/society's urge for them to be as well educated as possible.