In the January 26 edition of Education Week, the article by Mary Ann Zehr was about kids who had their driving privileges taken away for truancy and in some cases bad grades. The article says school counselors favor the idea while researchers are in doubt as little research evidence is out there as to the success of the method. Some researchers think it may be just a punishment and this punishment is not getting to the core of the issue whereas intervention and counseling may help more, longer. One study out of New Jersey does exist and it showed marked improvement in dropout rates.
More often than not I agree with what researchers say but I would not discard No-Pass, No-Drive simply because it was not a long term fix. I personally think that finishing high school is important but if the dropout has a job lined up, is responsible, and can get along without having a high school diploma then it is his choice. Yet if restricting driving privileges is all the motivation a student needs to stay in school then it sounds like it is worth trying.
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