Some laws just don't make sense.
Like the one that allows our young people to quit school at 16 or in the 10th grade—two years shy of a high school diploma, the basic education that people need to live in this world today. In Wilmington, the biggest city in our small but great State of Delaware, we have a high school dropout rate of over 60%. What are we waiting for…the dropout rate to reach 100% before we adults change this law? We should be doing whatever it takes to make sure every child in Delaware has a basic education and that no child is left behind.
President Obama clearly sees the need to improve America’s educational system, setting aside over $4 billion dollars for national education reform. U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, announced Delaware as the first-place winner of Race to the Top, resulting in a grant of $119 million to improve our public schools.
There are studies that say that by 2018, 63% of all American job openings will require some sort of postsecondary education. How do we plan on filling those jobs when we adults allow our young people to just drop out of high school? Our country is being left behind, while other countries soar ahead in the fields of math, science and technology.
Some states have more young people in prison than graduates from state colleges. It costs more to incarcerate our young people than to educate them. We should be promoting education over incarceration for our children by making education our number one priority—focused on keeping them in school and out of prison. Education equals a job.
We need to raise the high school dropout age to 18 because 16 years old is too young to make such a vital decision that affects their entire life and ours. Changing this law would have a domino effect on the issues in our society.
· The number of high school dropouts would decrease.
· College enrollment would increase.
· Less single family households because people would be able to get better paying jobs to take care of their families.
· The prison population would decrease, because most of the people in prison are under educated.
In fact, the only ones benefitting from our children dropping out of school are the ones involved in crime and the prison industry.
We need to help students who are struggling, and not let them quit when they are so close to graduating. I believe that it is absolutely essential for a successful career / life and for our nation's growth and security, to keep our kids in school from K- 12. We need to support all paths that keep our kids in school.
I am asking our legislators to pass legislation proposing that students stay in school until they graduate or turn 18. Extending this law another 2 years would send a strong message that Delaware is serious about providing a world class education to all public school students in our state.
If you agree,
Please sign this petition.