Summary and response paper

So#That#Nobody#Has#to#Go#to#School#If#They#Don't#Want#To# by#Roger#Sipher

A#decline#in#standardized#test#scores#is#but#the#most#recent#indicator#that# American#educa8on#is#in#trouble.#One#reason#for#the#crisis#is#that#present# mandatory<a=endance#laws#force#many#to#a=end#school#who#have#no#wish#to#be# there.#Such#children#have#li=le#desire#to#learn#and#are#so#antagonis8c#to#school# that#neither#they#nor#more#highly#mo8vated#students#receive#the#quality# educa8on#that#is#the#birthright#of#every#American.

The#solu8on#to#this#problem#is#simple:#Abolish#compulsory<a=endance#laws#and# allow#only#those#who#are#commi=ed#to#geCng#an#educa8on#to#a=end.

This#will#not#end#public#educa8on.

Contrary#to#conven8onal#belief,#legislators#enacted#compulsory<a=endance#laws.# William#Landes#and#Lewis#Solomon,#economists,#found#li=le#evidence#that# mandatory<a=endance#laws#increased#the#number#of#children#in#school.##They# found,#too,#that#school#systems#have#never#effec8vely#enforced#such#laws,#usually# because#of#the#expense#involved.##There#is#no#contradic8on#between#the#asser8on# that#compulsory#a=endance#has#had#li=le#effect#on#the#number#of#children# a=ending#school#and#the#argument#that#repeal#would#be#a#posi8ve#step#toward# improving#educa8on.##Most#parents#want#a#high#school#educa8on#for#their# children.

Unfortunately,#compulsory#a=endance#hampers#the#ability#of#public#school# officials#to#enforce#legi8mate#educa8onal#and#disciplinary#policies#and#thereby# make#private#schools#have#no#such#problem.##They#can#fail#or#dismiss#students,# knowing#such#students#can#a=end#public#school.##Without#compulsory# a=endance,#public#schools#would#be#freer#to#oust#students#whose#academic#or# personal#behavior#undermines#the#educa8onal#mission#of#the#ins8tu8on.

Has#not#the#noble#experiment#of#a#formal#educa8on#for#everyone#failed?##While# we#pay#homage#to#the#homily,#"You#can#lead#a#horse#to#water#but#you#can't#make# him#drink,"#we#have#pretended#it#is#not#true#in#educa8on.##Ask#high#school# teachers#if#recalcitrant#students#learn#anything#of#value.##Ask#homework.

Quite#the#contrary,#these#students#know#they#will#be#passed#enough#to#quit#or# un8l,#as#is#more#likely,#they#receive#a#high#school#diploma.##At#the#point#when# students#could#legally#quit,#most#choose#to#remain#since#they#know#they#are#likely# to#be#allowed#to#graduate#whether#they#do#acceptable#work#or#not.##Aboli8on#of# archaic#a=endance#laws#would#produce#enormous#dividends.##First,#it#would#alert# everyone#that#school#is#a#serious#place#where#one#goes#to#learn,#not#amusement# centers#nor#indoor#street#corners.##Young#people#who#resist#learning#should#stay# away;#indeed,#an#end#to#compulsory#schooling#would#require#them#to#stay#away.

Second,#students#opposed#to#learning#would#not#be#able#to#pollute#the# educa8onal#atmosphere#for#those#who#want#to#learn.

Teachers#could#stop#policing#recalcitrant#students#and#start#educa8ng.##Third,# grades#would#show#what#they#are#supposed#to:#how#well#a#student#is#learning.## Parents#could#again#read#report#cards#and#know#if#their#children#are#learning.## Fourth,#they#could#stop#regarding#them#as#way#sta8ons#for#adolescents#and#start# thinking#of#them#as#ins8tu8ons#for#educa8ng#America's#youth.

FiWh,#elementary#schools#would#change#because#students#would#find#out#early# they#had#be=er#learn#something#or#risk#flunking#out#later.##Elementary#teachers# would#no#longer#have#to#pass#their#failures#on#to#middle#and#high#schools.##Sixth,# the#cost#of#enforcing#compulsory#educa8on#would#be#eliminated.##Despite# enforcement#efforts,#nearly#15#percent#of#the#school<age#children#in#our#largest# ci8es#are#almost#permanently#absent#from#school.##Communi8es#could#use#these# savings#to#support#ins8tu8ons#to#deal#with#young#people#not#in#school.##If,#in#the# long#run,#these#ins8tu8ons#prove#more#costly,#at#least#we#would#not#confuse#their# mission#with#schools.##Schools#should#be#for#educa8on.##At#present,#they#are#only# tangen8ally#so.

They#have#a=empted#to#serve#an#all<encompassing#demographic,#trying#to#be#all# things#to#all#people.##In#the#process#they#have#failed#miserably#at#what#they#were# originally#formed#to#accomplish.