A proposed bill in the Indiana legislature wants to prevent high school students from dropping out at age 16, but some Ball State University educators said the bill should not be seen as a solution to the state's dropout problems.
State representative Luke Messner, R-Shelbyville, proposed the bill, which was approved by the House Education Committee earlier last week.
While states such as California have adopted similar legislation Daniel Lapsley, chairman of educational psychology, said the bill was a superficial quick fix to a much deeper problem and more emphasis was needed to pinpoint reasons why students leave school early.
"As educators, legislators and adults we want to find the easy pill that will have the desired outcomes but this will not solve the problem of why students drop out," Lapsley said. "There are many reasons why they drop out. We need to design high schools that are caring communities and not places of humiliation for students. We need to encourage educational persistence and encourage students not to drop out."
Lapsley said he was not aware of any evidence that suggests these kinds of laws encourage students to stay in school longer. However, evidence does suggest that if students do not have a high school diploma, it does affect their chances of succeeding in life, he said.
"There is a lot we can do as educators and legislators, and if this bill adds a little bit to it, then I support it, but I hope the message is not that this bill will solve the problem."
Charles Payne, a professor of secondary education, said forcing students to stay in school may not be as beneficial as legislators are anticipating.
"If people want to leave school at 16, then they are just going to spend another two years in high school not getting anything out of it," he said.
Still, Payne said he expects the bill to pass.
"The bill will have an excellent chance of passing because people believe they have found the solution to the problem by passing these bills," he said. "It looks like we are trying to do something about it. But if kids stay in school longer, it would cost the state more money, which could prevent the bill from passing."
Payne said despite an increased number of students receiving a high school diploma, colleges and universities in the state may not see a significant increase in enrollment numbers.
"You would assume that if more people get their diploma that more people would go to college," he said. "But this may not be true because many people don't want to go to college. Also, enrollment into universities like Ball State University and Purdue University is more difficult these days, so numbers at these colleges may not be affected, but at technical colleges like Ivy Tech and other trade schools, the numbers may increase."
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