Adolescents—Too young to earn,too old to learn? Compulsory school attendance and intellectual development

The desirability of secondary schooling has recently been challenged and a policy of allowing adolescents to enter work environments at an earlier age has been advocated. The potential losses in intellectual development that might result from early school leaving are assessed by reviewing evidence on the contribution of high schools and work to adolescents' intellectual development. The paper concludes that while students who have mastered basic skills may benefit from early work experience, students who have not achieved a level of intellectual development that would allow them to function as responsible adults should remain in an educational setting that is more likely to raise their skill level than a work environment.Received her Ph.D. in psychology from Yale University. Current interests include secondary educational policy. The author was supported by a grant from the foundation for Child Development to the Yale Law School Compulsory Schooling project while preparing this article.