N.H. mulls raising age for school exit

NASHUA -- While Massachusetts grapples with its highest school dropout rate in 14 years, Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire believes he has found the solution to a similar problem in the Granite State. He is proposing to raise the mandatory age for students to stay in school from 16 to 18, hoping to make it tougher for teenagers to give up and drop out.

The governor's proposal, if approved by the Legislature, would amend a 102-year-old law established when New Hampshire was largely a state of farms, textile mills, and shoe factories. About half of the states, including Massachusetts, allow students to legally quit school when they turn 16. Many of those rules date back to more agrarian times.

''Back then students could leave school and get a job in a mill or on a farm; that assumption is no longer valid," Lynch, a Democrat, said Friday after a forum on the proposal at a high school in this former mill city that is now a high-technology hub. ''Students who drop out today don't have the opportunity to get good jobs that offer advancement and good healthcare benefits."

A growing chorus of educators, political leaders, and researchers nationwide say the policy makes it too easy for students to quit. Over the last few years, a handful of states, such as Connecticut, have extended the compulsory school age to 17 or 18.

In Massachusetts, where last year's 3.7 percent dropout rate was the highest in 14 years, officials have not discussed whether to raise the mandatory age to stay in high school as a remedy, said Heidi Perlman, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Education.

But some Bay State educators -- such as Maria Cunha, who works with students at risk of dropping out at Lowell High School -- say they believe the age should be raised, pointing out that teenagers have to wait until they are 18 to make other important decisions, such as buying cigarettes or voting. ''I personally think 16 is too young," she said. ''At that age, many young people don't know what's best for them."

The Republican-controlled New Hampshire Legislature plans to consider the governor's proposal during the next session, which starts in January, and several lawmakers have expressed support. Deputy House Speaker Kenneth L. Weyler of Kingston, said the proposal appeals both to liberal Democrats who believe the state should be doing more to help youths and to fiscal conservatives who want to make sure the state is getting a good return on the money it spends on education.

''New Hampshire public school students need to contribute to the economy rather than be a burden on the state," he said.

But, some educators caution that raising the mandatory age could lead to other problems, such as a higher number of truant teens to chase, and they worry about having enough money for new programs and additional guidance counselors, tutors, and teachers that such an academically challenged population might require.

''I think in theory raising the age is a great idea, but in reality you need support services to back it up," said Jennifer Seusing, principal of Nashua High School South. ''You can't just say raise it to 18 and leave it at that. There are a myriad of reasons why kids drop out of high school: family issues, drug involvement, teenage pregnancy. Not everybody is meant to fit the mold of a four-year high school."

Lynch, a former chairman of the state's university system's board of trustees, said his legislation would also call for creation of more alternative programs and resources to help struggling students. The state recently received a $2.1 million federal grant to help reduce dropout rates.

''We need to see what we can do to keep [those students] motivated," he said.

Reducing dropout rates has been a politically charged issue in New Hampshire for the last several years. The percentage of ninth- through 12th-graders dropping out annually hit a high of 5.3 percent in the 2000-2001 school year and became ammunition for heated political attacks during the 2002 election season. In recent years, the rate has held steady at 3.8 percent.

Most students interviewed during lunch Friday in Nashua High School South's cafeteria said they thought Lynch's proposal was a good idea, but that it could lead to other problems, such as truancy. The school has about 2,200 students and an above-average dropout rate for the state. According to the most recent data available, in 2003-04, the school's dropout rate was nearly 5 percent.

''There's no way you can stop kids from skipping school," said Jeff McClure, 18, a senior, adding that more needs to be done than just raising the dropout age. ''If they don't want to be in school, you need to find out why they don't want to be in school and make it your priority to keep them in school."

Since Connecticut raised its mandatory age for staying in school, dropout rates have been gradually declining, said Robert Lucco, director of the office of research and evaluation for the Connecticut Department of Education. But, he said, the department has not conducted a study to determine if the age change or other high school reform efforts are causing the drop. a trend that began before the age change.

''On face value," Lucco said, ''it doesn't appear as though the law, itself, has had significant impact on dropout rates."

Boston's school superintendent, Thomas W. Payzant, questioned how great an effect raising the mandatory age to stay in high school would have and whether forcing students to stay in school would cause more problems with truancy.

As it is, the district is strapped for resources; it has only about a half-dozen truant officers to cover all of the city's schools.

''You have to look realistically at what would be different," Payzant said. ''It might provide some parents with more sense of control over 16- and 17-year-olds to keep them in school longer."

Gary Orfield, director of the Harvard Civil Rights Project and a Harvard University professor, said that raising the mandatory age to stay in high school is a good way to draw attention to a serious problem in education, but that the idea's success hinges on providing additional money for staffing and programs.

''If they are flunking everything," Orfield said, ''we are going to have more truancy."