Malcolm X
Education Matters
One of the proudest moments of life is walking across the stage receiving a high school diploma. However, approximately 1.2 million high school students fail to graduate each year. Three out of 10 tenth-grade students in American schools do not graduate. About 20 percent of the drop-outs are white or Asian while 45 percent are blacks and Hispanics (Gales). One of the biggest debates regarding the mandatory dropout age is deciding whether it should be raised or kept the same. Eleven states have set the drop out age at 17, while 19 states allow students to leave school at age 16 (Gales). This paper will show why it is beneficial to raise the age a student can make the decision to drop out of high school to 18. Why should a child be allowed to dropout at 16 when they are not eligible to vote or join the military? Teens in South Carolina can’t buy cigarettes, alcohol, or even a lottery ticket until they are 18 but can make a life changing decision to drop out of school while still considered a child. If students are aware of how valuable education is, maybe they will realize that dropping out isn’t a smart choice. Every day 7,000 teenagers become high school dropouts while 30% of students in the U.S fail to graduate on time each year (“Get Involved with Choices as an Individual Donor"). The implications of dropping out of high school are enormous, including a higher risk of poverty and a shortened lifespan. The person who has dropped out of school has a tendency to be employed in a low income job. These are the people who look forward to government resources. A person’s future is more guaranteed when he or she is educated. They can be anything in life if they are educated. Without education a person’s aspirations in life could be limited. According to research, a high school graduate will earn an average of $7,480 more a year than a high school dropout (Pou).
“Few, if any, 16 year olds have the wisdom and knowledge to
One of the proudest moments of life is walking across the stage receiving a high school diploma. However, approximately 1.2 million high school students fail to graduate each year. Three out of 10 tenth-grade students in American schools do not graduate. About 20 percent of the drop-outs are white or Asian while 45 percent are blacks and Hispanics (Gales). One of the biggest debates regarding the mandatory dropout age is deciding whether it should be raised or kept the same. Eleven states have set the drop out age at 17, while 19 states allow students to leave school at age 16 (Gales). This paper will show why it is beneficial to raise the age a student can make the decision to drop out of high school to 18. Why should a child be allowed to dropout at 16 when they are not eligible to vote or join the military? Teens in South Carolina can’t buy cigarettes, alcohol, or even a lottery ticket until they are 18 but can make a life changing decision to drop out of school while still considered a child. If students are aware of how valuable education is, maybe they will realize that dropping out isn’t a smart choice. Every day 7,000 teenagers become high school dropouts while 30% of students in the U.S fail to graduate on time each year (“Get Involved with Choices as an Individual Donor"). The implications of dropping out of high school are enormous, including a higher risk of poverty and a shortened lifespan. The person who has dropped out of school has a tendency to be employed in a low income job. These are the people who look forward to government resources. A person’s future is more guaranteed when he or she is educated. They can be anything in life if they are educated. Without education a person’s aspirations in life could be limited. According to research, a high school graduate will earn an average of $7,480 more a year than a high school dropout (Pou).
“Few, if any, 16 year olds have the wisdom and knowledge to