Here's a strange bit of news out of Maryland: They've got a great idea for cutting the drop-out rate, but the legislature is afraid to pass it, apparently because it might work!

The idea: Raise the mandatory school attendance age from 16 to 18. That proposal came from a 50-member task force of educators, community leaders, and legislators.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore legislators have been trying to get that done  for four years, but haven't been able to get the state legislature to vote on it because the lawmakers don't want to spend the money to educate the thousands of kids who would then stay in school.

Would they prefer a drop-out plan that doesn't keep kids in school? Something they can point to at election time, but not pay for?

The most charitable interpretation of the legislators' inaction is that they think kids would stay in school longer but still not earn diplomas. Sure, maybe some still wouldn't. But staying in school is certainly a big step--an essential step--toward graduating.

NEA's 12-point plan for cutting the drop-out rate begins with raising the compulsory attendance age to 21 or until a student gets a diploma. No state has yet gone that far, but according to the National Center for School Engagement, 15 states and the District of Columbia now set the age at 18.