Reducing the Dropout Rate By Holding Parents Accountable

According to an article in today's San Francisco Chronicle, the 120,000 students who drop out of high school each year in California costs the state a total of $46.4 billion over their lifetimes. This is because people without a high school diploma are the most likely to be unemployed, turn to crime, need state-funded medical care, get welfare and pay no taxes, according to a new report by the California Dropout Research Project.

The CDRP made all kinds of recommendations in their report for improving the situation, most of which include spending more taxpayer money and increasing state control over schools. As I mentioned the other day, I don't think the government can solve the problem of bad parenting.

In the CDRP report, the researchers point out that the students at highest risk for dropping out of school are those whose parents are low-income, less educated, and/or not married. Given that these parents often receive some form of government assistance, shouldn't that assistance be conditional upon their minor children either attending school or demonstrating progress in a homeschool? I'm not a big fan of government interference in homeschooling, but when someone chooses to accept government money that means accepting a higher level of government oversight. Don't like the strings attached? Don't take a handout from Uncle Sam...