"TIME, ENERGY AND RESOURCES" MUST COME WITH CHANGE IN DROPOUT AGE LIMIT

School officials in Fargo, N.D., are planning to push the state Legislature to change a law that allows students to drop out of school when they turn 16. “I’d rather have us and public education invest more of our time, energy and resources to turn that teen around at 16,” Fargo School Board President Jim Johnson told The Grand Forks Herald. “It’s really easy today to say ‘oh, this child isn’t going to cooperate’ and let them leave.” Johnson right when he talks about time, energy and resources. It's one thing to make a legislative change that mandates student stay in school until they're 18. It's another thing to enforce that mandate. Legislators shouldn't bother fiddling with the age requirement unless they're willing to work closely with educators, administrators and community leaders to change the factors that lead students to drop out in the first place. That means making sure that teenage parents have safe and reliable child care. It means providing flexibility for students that aren't succeeding under traditional school structures. And it means ensuring that all students have a safe and comfortable learning environment. Until all those conditions (and more) are met, changing the legal age at which students can drop out of school won't change anything at all.