Compulsory Attendance

Introduction

All students in the United States (and in many other countries) are required to go to school until they reach a certain age, at which point they can quit attending school or continue onto graduation. The student usually starts to attend school at an early age, usually five or six. Their attendance is usually required until they are around the age of 16, which is generally the state mandated standard. Each state has varying laws about the age students can leave school (Wegner, 2002, pg. 507). For example, the Pennsylvania standards are that a student may not begin schooling any later than age eight and they may not quit schooling before the age of seventeen (PA Department of Education, 2006).

The question for this paper is compulsory attendance something that should be required for all students. This is a very interesting question. Based on personal opinion, compulsory attendance is necessary. It is critical that students receive an education and the benefits of not receiving an education far out weigh the perceived sacrifices in personal freedoms. One could say that compulsory education is a "necessary" evil.

Positive or Negative?

There are many factors that ultimately influence whether or not compulsory attendance is a positive or negative requirement for adolescents and teenagers. Some of these factors included in the broad social context in which the student(s) interact, include political, economic and potentially religious factors. These are not a comprehensive listing, just a "tip of the iceberg" so to speak. For example, a Supreme Court case (Wisconsin vs. Yoder 1972) ruled that an Amish child could not be forced to attend school past 14, otherwise to do so would be a violation of the Amish's religious freedom (Wegner, 2002, 509).

A Necessary Law?

There are many reasonable arguments to both side of this issue. The decision to not only mandate that a child attend school, but also to require that child to attend for a certain length of time could be seen as a slight to that person's freedom of choice. Requiring someone to do something that they may see as unnecessary does seem to contradict the general freedoms that this country was built on. On the other side, the argument can be made that somethings must be required of a country's citizenship, especially when it is something that does benefit them and their fellow citizens. If this requirement is not generally harmful to the citizen, then the "needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few".

Reasons for Compulsory Attendance

One of the main reasons to maintain compulsory attendance is to ensure that students are prepared to be productive in the challenging work world, were more skilled and technically sound employees are needed. States report that there is a high level of welfare recipiency and unemployment amongst high school dropouts (Wegner, 2002, 509). Wegner (2002) further states that research shows a high school dropout can initially loose as much as six months to two and a half years wages by dropping out of school, depending on the state (510).

Another important reason for compulsory education is to ensure that all students are receiving an education and that they are given the opportunity to succeed. This may not happen if students have a choice to go to school or not. Opponents of compulsory education would mention those students that may be disruptive or worse because they have to attend school. However, according to some research this number is about one to two percent. These students are going to be present in any environment and they would be more likely to causing much greater trouble if they were not in school. A school may also be able to provide resources to help these students out in ways that the student may not receive any where else (Gillespie, 2, 1997).

Conclusion

There are many more arguments that can be made on both sides of this issue than have been discussed here. Many factors can sway if this type of mandatory schooling is right for each student, including the previously provided example of the Amish students in Wisconsin. Compulsory attendance is necessary, no matter how strong an argument there is to the contrary. This statement is true because the benefits of having an educated populace far out weigh the negatives of mandating attendance. There will always be exceptions to the rule that will have to be worked out, such as the Amish example. The most important thing is to ensure that each and every person has an opportunity to learn and improve his/her situation in life.

Works Cited

Gillispie, N. (January 1997).Mandatory Schooling: A Teacher's Eye View. Reason, 28, 38-42. Retrieved July 1, 2009 from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9701206657&site=ehostlive

Pre K-12: Compulsory Attendance and Truancy Elimination Plan. PA Department of Education. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.pde.state.pa.us/k12/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=121159

Wegner, J.W. (2002).Does the Dropout Age Matter?. Public Finance and Management, 4, 507-534. Retrieved July 1, 2009 from: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9701206657&site=ehostlive