An Ill-Advised Education Idea in Obama’s SOTU

In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama focused on building a more skilled workforce. One of the proposals he made was for “states to require students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 18.” It was a surprising and an ill-advised suggestion, and while it may not immediately sound like an early education issue, it does have some bearing on how we educate young children.

In a National Journal post yesterday, I explain why:

“Increasing graduation rates is surely an important goal, but trying to reach it via mandate is not going to work. Drop out laws are punitive rather than supportive, and difficult to enforce; so why make them the focus?  

“It seems to me that the President should have instead called on states to both provide high schools with the resources and assistance needed to improve course rigor. He also should have talked about the support needed for struggling students and the preventative measures that can be taken by investing in the earliest years and grades. Students who are developmentally and cognitively ready for kindergarten are more likely to be reading on grade level by the end of third grade and on the path to achieve at high levels and graduate from high school.

“Attacking the drop out crisis at both ends should in time lead to less of a need for costly remediation at the secondary level, making additional investment in early learning, birth through third grade, much easier.”

It is too bad that Obama failed to mention the importance of early education in his remarks last week. Do you agree? What is your reaction to the education agenda the President put forth in his State of the Union?

For more, see my full National Journal post.