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How Should State Wield Its Power?

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Yesterday there was hearing to consider whether kindergarten should be made mandatory in Pennsylvania.  According to the Education Commission of the States, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Idaho, and Alaska do not require school districts to offer half or full day kindergarten.  However, Pennsylvania and 34 other states do not mandate that children attend kindergarten, either.  Pennsylvania and Washington are the only two states that stipulate compulsory school age to begin at 8.  Eight states and DC have compulsory school age that begins at 5.

Clearly the implication is that Pennsylvania does not want to be viewed as an outlier with the small cadre of states that don’t require their districts to make kindergarten an offering.

Ironically, the hearing came at the same week that two more districts in Pennsylvania announced that teachers are walking off of the job due to labor disputes (here and here).  Pennsylvania is a real outlier even among states that permit collective bargaining in that it permits strikes (one of 8 overall).  We’ve written before how the state is willing to use its power to compel attendance and collect taxes to fund schools, but it is unwilling to tackle this issue.

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Allegheny Institute
Allegheny Institute

The Allegheny Institute is a non-profit research and education organization. Our mission is to defend the interests of taxpayers, citizens and businesses against an increasingly burdensome and intrusive government.

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