Tearing up the calendar

Kentucky is trying to boost its lagging high school and college graduation rates at least up to the national average, yet the state's compulsory school attendance age of 16 hasn't changed in 64 years. Special-interest and parent groups are even lobbying to keep Kentucky's school year short and summer vacations long.

It used to be farm families who wanted a late start for the school year, so kids could lend a hand with the harvest. Now it's tourist business owners who want school to start after Labor Day and shut down by Memorial Day. They don't want to lose cheap student labor and understandably prefer an "endless summer" of family vacationers spending for as long as possible.

The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, to its credit, is urging state lawmakers to make schooling up to age 18 mandatory, and, if anything, increase the number of instructional days in the school year. Kentucky will raise its required days to 177 days starting next year. The U.S. average is 180. Internationally, the average is about 195 days, and math-and-science-intensive Asian countries go for 220 to 230 days. It's not just to keep youngsters out of trouble. It's to produce a highly skilled, competitive work force.

Others argue youngsters need jobs during summer and holiday breaks. But all too often, school calendars don't add up any more in this knowledge-based, new economy. How's this for a litmus test: Are school calendar decisions made for the sake of turning out skilled lifelong learners -- or for other, non-instructional reasons?