Less, Not More
by E. Donovan
Currently and generally, students across the country are not required to start school
until age 6 or 7 when they enter first grade, and they are not required to stay and
graduate high school past age 16. Many legislators want to change that to require all
children enter public kindergarten by age 5 and mandate no one may quit and drop out
until age 18. Some legislators and even former presidents want that age lowered to
entering preschool by 4 years of age Understandably, this invasion of personal rights
has people upset. A mother in one state, who wants to homeschool her children, says,
"Our state is listed as 50th in the country for public school performance, so I will teach my
own, thank you."
Legislators should focus on "quality and not "quantity." Making children stay in school
longer will not make them smarter or mare skilled, but changing the curriculum to include
more creative lessons and activities will. Thirteen years is an awfully long time to be
completing worksheets and taking standardized tests, which is all that most schools offer
Of course, at the heart of all this is money. Everyone knows that schools receive
government funding based on their average daily attendance (ADA). What better way to
line the coffers of administration than by forcing student attendance to expand the ADA?
It's time that people who care begin to force legislators to expand quality education and
not lengthen the school years.
which sentence from the passage best demonstrates an exaggerated claim?
A.a mother in one state, who wants to homeschool her children, says, “our state is listed as 50th in the country for public school performance, so i will teach my own, thank you.”
B. thirteen years in an awfully long time to grow completing worksheets and taking standardized tests, which is all that most schools offer.
C.many legislators want to change that to require all children enter public kindergarten by age 5 and mandate no one may quit and drop out until age 18.
D.currently and generally, students across the country are not required to start school until age 6 or 7 when they enter first grade, and they are not required to stay and graduate high school past age 16 .
