LA
CROSSE— President Obama, during his annual address to Congress this
week, called on states to keep students in high school until age 18.
Unlike
most states, Wisconsin has already adopted that requirement. Educators
say changing the exit age or graduation rate can only do so much —
programs and support are needed to keep teens interested.
The
National Center for Education Statistics says 30 states, including
Minnesota and Iowa, allow students to drop out before 18. Onalaska
School District Superintendent Fran Finco tells the La Crosse Tribune
(http://bit.ly/xioiVE) that if the president's aim is to improve the
number of students who are ready for college or work by the time they
leave high school, educators will have to much more than fall back on
state law.
