Compulsory School Age

WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind Act has revised the elementary and secondary act; and

WHEREAS, the emphasis on assessments is causing school districts to establish within their strategic plans, a more intensified curriculum to meet the demands; and

WHEREAS, many pre-school programs are establishing a more academically inclined program as preparation for students entering kindergarten; and

WHEREAS, many states have designated the compulsory age to begin school at more than six years of age; and

WHEREAS, a child entering school at age seven or above for the first time without the benefit of any formal instruction may be educationally and developmentally disadvantaged in a way that "could adversely affect his or her future professional and personal life."

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP, in compliance with its "Call To Action In Education," direct state conferences and local units to propose legislation to change the compensatory school age to not greater than six if it does not now exist.