THUMBS UP Driving Force For Education

Thumbs up to state Rep. Bill Hammond of Dallas for pushing through a bill that will supply high school students with a strong incentive to stay in school. The bill prevents high-school dropouts under the age of eighteen from getting a driver’s license. Since the privilege of driving is especially coveted by teenagers, the new law should dramatically decrease the 33 percent Texas high school dropout rate. A similar bill in West Viginia has cut that state’s dropout rate by more than a third. In the face of the declining educational status of Texas and the U.S., this is one step that has real merit.