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Increasing the Age of Compulsory SchoolAttendance inMaryland:
An Effort to Strategically ReduceStudent Dropout Rates to Curb YouthViolence
Bill FergusonTerm Paper Submission for Crime in Maryland
 –
Spring 2008Professor KittrieMay 23, 2008
 
Strategically Reducing Youth Violence & Dropout Rates in Maryland
Ferguson, Spring 2008
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past ten years, the Maryland legislature has grappled with the issue of whetherto increase the age of compulsory school attendance from 16 to 18. While the decision toincrease the mandatory attendance age warrants discussion in its own right, the purpose of this
 paper is to evaluate how such a reform effort would affect two of Maryland‟s most significant
and interrelated social problems: disproportionately high student dropout rates and cases of youthviolence.Focusing
on education as a critical lever for social change, Baltimore City‟s State
Senator, Cathy Pugh, recently introduced SB 436 -
 Education
 – 
Age of Compulsory Attendance
 – 
  Exemptions
. The bill would have increased Maryland‟s legal dropout age from 16 to 17.
Duringthe Maryland
General Assembly‟s 2008 Session
, SB 436 gained significant traction untilfinancial concerns halted the
 bill‟s
legislative progress. After passing the State Senate, theGeneral Assembly adjourned without a vote on the bill in the House
 – 
effectively killing Sen.
Pugh‟s
attempt to use compulsory school attendance requirements as a vehicle for reducing
Maryland‟s juvenile problems
.
The paper looks at the history of SB 436 in the context of Maryland‟s efforts to improve
the lives of juveniles in the state
and relates the bill‟s efforts to the overarching and
comprehensive effort to reduce youth violence and promote academic achievement. Afterconsidering relevant research and contributions obtained through formal and informal interviews,the author concludes with several findings and offers several recommendations to Marylandpolicymakers.First, a connection likely exists between high school graduation rates and criminalactivity, especially in regards to youth violence. Second, Maryland likely would see a reduction
 
Strategically Reducing Youth Violence & Dropout Rates in Maryland
Ferguson, Spring 2008
2
in crime after increasing the age of compulsory attendance
 – 
the reform is both financiallyefficient and proactively sound. Third, any increase in the compulsory age of school attendancemust include additional and suppl
emental reforms in order to maximize the bill‟s impact.
Without such supplements, the legislative reform is unlikely to affect substantial change.Finally, Maryland could benefit significantly by (1) supporting efforts to increase the age of compulsory school attendance; (2) creating a statewide student-identification numbering andtracking system; (3) creating an integrated, interagency student-database to assist efforts to offertiered levels of intervention to targeted at-risk populations; and (4) establishing a citywidemission statement founded in proactive, strategic, and targeted service provision.
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