Reform Proposal: Repeal Compulsory Attendance Laws

The real tragedy of our present system of compulsory education is that compulsion is not necessary. If a program or course of study effectively addresses genuine educational needs and interests, it will be well-attended. We will not have to compel students to attend. Learning is a big part of what life is all about. We are constantly confronted with, and involved in, situations that make some form of learning advisable, and often unavoidable.

Responding to the genuine needs of people at various stages of their lives will offer plenty of opportunities for educators to be of service. We should make the system fit the needs of people, rather than making people fit the needs of the system.

The other critical point to understand about compulsory learning is that it is not very effective. We can no longer afford to ignore the basic truth that when students are forced to learn, they don’t learn very efficiently. When what is being taught is of no immediate utility or interest to a student, the bits of knowledge acquired will soon be forgotten and any skills developed will soon atrophy.

Spending thousands of dollars per year on young people who have no real interest in learning is a tremendous waste of taxpayers’ money. A “student” who does not pay attention in class, who has a strong aversion to reading, who does not complete homework assignments or study for tests, in other words, someone who generally makes a determined effort to avoid learning, is not a student in any meaningful sense of the term.

All of the factors contributing to a lack of motivation on the part of students are magnified by the fact that education is compulsory up to a certain age. We should repeal compulsory attendance laws, or at least lower the age at which students have the option of leaving school.

Excerpt from:
Edutopia: A Manifesto for the Reform of Public Education

© 2003 Gary Winston Apple.

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