18 is good

I think keeping someone in school who has no intentions of learning and wants to leave is a bad idea. I understand the intention of the bill but I foresee the outcome being that the students that are trying to learn will be distracted by the ones that no longer want to be there. Someone that is forced to do something that they don't want encourages them to lash out whether it be violently or disruptively. I say if they want to leave let them but in exchange for giving up a FREE education they should NEVER be eligible for government assistance.

Students dropout for a multitude of reasons, from facing pregnancy, bullies and gangs to having to earn full-time wages to support themselves and their families. None of that goes away with age. They need the flexibility and accessibility to complete their high school degrees. Want to learn more? Join us at NoDropouts.org.

Good, they should suck it up.

Why not make it 62,then they can go straight to social security and completely skip the whole welfare thing

I wouldn't want my 15 year old stuck in a state institution with a man sized 17 year old that desperately doesn't want to be there.

Parents are best able to determine when their child should leave HS, not the state.

This is an absolutely ridiculous law. Talk about unintended consequences. There are already too many students in high schools who don't want to be there, don't take it seriously, and decide to make life miserable for everyone else since they can't leave. To force those students to be there for an additional two years, and to force the rest of the students, the teachers, and the administrators to put up with the disruptions caused by these students for an additional two years is asinine. If the Governor wants to do this, then he should also be about creating and properly funding additional alternative education facilities for these students with opportunities and curricula that might give them a chance to succeed. We have done away with nearly all traditional vocational educational programs in this state, eliminating "shop" classes from high schools and capping the enrollment at Harford Tech to the point where they have a waiting list. Where are the carpentry, HVAC, plumbing, auto mechanics, and other trades programs that these students could benefit from? Gone.

America has this idiotic belief system that revolves around the ideas that (A) everyone can be smart, (B) everyone should go to college, and (C) when a person turns out not to be smart or go to college, it is a disgrace and it is the fault of that person's teachers. Everything that my teachers and my parents teachers did was wrong, but all the research data shows that those students were better than those of today.

Can Maryland afford the 56 million a year for this? Can MD afford O'Malley?

Forcing young people to wallow in school failure until age18 addresses no societal problem.

The actual problem is the lack of school-based and community-based job training that uses 21st century tools and modern industrial processes.

Blue-ribbon panels time and time again point to the thousands of technology-intensive jobs that go unfilled. Still, American businesses move manufacturing operations offshore rather than train highly paid, highly mobile American workers.

Unfunded legislative initiatives ring hollow.

John smith and 1ke ,outstanding comments,constructive and to the point,shame we can't move our country's political operations offshore,or did we already do that?

Here's some math. (18 year old drop out) - (16 year old dropout) = 2 years of saved taxpayer money otherwise invested in someone who doesn't want to learn

Its sad that anyone drops out, but it is a reality.

This is just another huge waste of taxpayers money. What will the extra two years accomplish? If a student wants to drop out of school at 16 and is forced to remain in school, what will the consequences be? Does anyone really believe this will add to their education? I'm not sure what the purpose is. The majority of students remain in school until they graduate. If a student at 16 wants to drop out, an additional two years is not going to resolve anything and may even cause disruption to other students who are there to learn.

The decision of letting a student drop out of school before 18, should be made by the parents, not our government.

The cost is estimated to be $56 million per year. Five years ago, Governor O’Malley’s task force estimated the cost even higher at about $200 million per year.
Where is this money going to come from? Probably increased taxes, tolls, and anything else our current government can come up with.

When it comes time to vote, I know I will not cast my ballot for our current officials

What a great idea to keep 18 year old thugs and criminals around in school so they can impregnate more of your freshman daughters.

This is a difficult situation. Students who hate school will not be very teachable. But the job market isn’t very friendly toward anyone lacking in education. As our government feels increasingly more responsible for people’s welfare, they will increasingly make policies which are intended to “help” people. So it’s a catch 22. So really I see no right answer here.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

I don't think this is a good idea. It should be up to the parents and students to decide, not the state. High School is just not for some students. My brother dropped out at 17 because he wanted to join the Marines so bad. When I was half way through 9th grade and 15 years old, I opted to start home schooling myself. I found school was too boring, and it wasn't interesting. Once I turned 16, I dropped out and started college. I placed into all college level classes and when everyone else was 18 and graduating high school - I had 2 years of college completed. If I was forced to finish high school, I think I would have failed just for not trying. Although I don't like to hear kids dropout of school, sometimes you have to trust the parents who let them.

let's work on solving the problem of WHY kids drop out instead of FORCING them to stay in!!

thanks for visit. http://www.realestatecareers101.com

Too late about the traffic problems, it is heavy everywhere you go! http://www.ville-decorating.com/

With all due respect, this is just going to have surly students in classrooms. A better option would be to give these students the option of "Learn at home", as I did with my college education.

Many times, the problem is not with the students, the problem is with the teachers or the pace of the classes. I.E. I was labeled a 'difficult' and 'behind' student in elementary but when they tested me for IQ and learning, I was lightyears ahead of the other students and THAT was why I was acting out.

Kennedy-Krieger lambasted the school system over that as well and made them move me to 'more advanced' classes, with them actually thinking about "Hmm.... is the student and teacher's personality going to clash?" which was another 25% of the problem.

Your articles make complete sense out of each topic. http://www.greattravelclub.com

Thank you kindly for presenting and offering this terrific section. The situation is likewise enticing. I feel the need to know some different informative content concerning this post. So please give me this news instantly. I unfailingly can be attentive to you..
http://www.myhealthwebsite.org