Mass. government not giving up on high school drop-outs

This article by Adrian Walker in the Boston Globe brought up the issue of raising the age for high school dropouts. Did you know that 37% of the high school students in Boston do not graduate from high school? In the past, drop-outs would work on farms or small pay production jobs. But, we are living in the twenty-first century, where dropping out of high school isn't that simple. Dropping out means giving up on most chances of a decent jobs, and higher chances of poverty,  jail time, and unemployment. I agree with Walker, and the two men proposing the petition, John Connolly and Tito Jackson, that if teenagers aren't allowed to vote, drink, or smoke at the age of sixteen, we should certainly not be allowed to drop out of high school and give up on our lives. Teenagers should be required to finish high school and receive the diploma that will open up so many more opportunites in life.

Adrian Walker supports his article with forms of evidence and appealing to the legislative people behind the proposal. There are numerous quotes from Tito Jackson and John Connolly, who are the Boston City Councilors behind the petition. They have done their research by visiting numerous schools and taking note of what causes children as young as twelve to want to drop out, giving them credibility. Walker also uses the statistic of a high school dropout's income from Northeastern's Center for Labor Market studies that gives the audience a view of what the financial life of a drop-out is like. Martha Walz, a Democratic Representative, is another person behind the legislation that Adrian Walker includes for evidence. One line in the article that shows Walker's opinion is when he says,
"Lawmakers deserve credit for forgetting the casino debate long enough to focus on this complex issue. Figuring out how to support kids who are ready to give up on school would be a huge achievement," (Walker). This shows that Walker thinks the legislation is taking the right steps to help drop-outs, but that he also believes it to be a daunting task. Adrian Walker's "Don't quit on dropouts" writes about the government change to keep kids in school until they turn eighteen.

Source: Walker, Adrian . "Don't quit on dropouts." The Boston Globe 24 Sept. 2011, sec. Metro: n. pag. Boston.com. Web. 24 Sept. 2011.