Plan to tie driving to school performance is a bad one

Gov. Bill Richardson announced last week his new plan to tie eligibility for a driver’s license to academic performance in grade school. It’s the latest example of trying to force students to learn by threatening them with punishment instead of actually improving the educational system to encourage students to want to learn.

That’s the main reason this is simply a bad idea.

You’ll still have to be 16 to get a driver’s license in New Mexico under Richardson’s plan. Eighth graders will also have to demonstrate that they are at the level of “nearing proficiency or proficiency” on New Mexico standards. Ninth graders will have to have a 90-percent attendance rate to be eligible. Failing to meet either requirement will result in a six-month delay in license eligibility. Failing to meet both will result in a one-year delay.

In addition, teens who drop out of school before they’re 16 will have to wait an additional year to get a license.

Richardson called the unique program – there isn’t currently one like it in the nation – a “creative way for us to continue improving graduation rates, classroom instruction and student and community involvement.” He says he isn’t sure whether he can unilaterally implement the new rules or whether he’ll need legislative approval, but he’s pledging that they’ll be implemented next year either way.

What about those who have to miss class?

One of the biggest problems with the federal No Child Left Behind Act is that it punishes failing schools instead of giving them the tools they need to succeed. Richardson’s plan is similarly punitive: If you don’t attend class and get good grades, you can’t get a driver’s license.

What about those students whose families need them to take time away from studies to help pay the bills, those who need to drive to attend work? What about teen mothers who sometimes have to focus on issues that are more important than attending band class? What about teens with serious illnesses?

I’m not saying families should push teens to work to help pay the bills, or that teens should get pregnant, but those are realities in our society. In a poor state like New Mexico, they’re more common than they are in some other places.

Those who have to miss class because of economic and other valid factors are going to miss regardless of the punishment. They’ll drive anyway, and they’ll do it illegally, because they have to drive. Some will get caught. Then they’ll face the further burden of having to spend time and money dealing with the court system. Rather than helping them succeed, Richardson’s plan would further burden those overloaded teens.

Richardson has worked to increase teacher pay in New Mexico. He has taken some other steps to try to improve the educational system. But so much more is needed. Many believe we need a complete shift in the focus of America’s educational system from test-based accountability to project-based, hands-on learning.

Fostering an appreciation of learning

It’s the job of parents to make sure that their kids are attending school and learning. Instead of taking that responsibility away from parents, the state should help ensure they have the tools they need to do a better job of parenting.

The state has already cracked down on parents who don’t ensure their kids are in school. Kids already get in trouble for missing school. Neither punishment has done enough to reduce absenteeism.

That’s because punishment alone won’t work. The state needs to increase its focus on reducing poverty, teen pregnancy and other factors that distract teens from learning. Most important, it needs to give kids an incentive to focus on education, not just punishment when they don’t.

Life is full of wonder. Our educational system should help foster an appreciation of that in our children. Learning can and should be enjoyable. The more the educational system focuses on test scores and taking away from schools and students who don’t meet expectations, the less enjoyable learning will be.

What’s next, requiring that college students who are 21 have to show a valid ID and a report card in order to buy a beer?

A version of this article was published today on the Diary of a Mad Voter blog published by the Denver Post’s Politics West and the independent Web site NewWest.net.