In U.S. News &  World Report I take a look at a possible twofer for education policy: Expand access to high-quality pre-K education and finance it by getting rid of 12th-grade.

For a lot of young people spring weather is just another reminder that high school is basically over and it’s OK to check out. I attended a well-regarded suburban high school and still spent too much of my senior spring skipping school to ski, hike, hang out at a local waterfall and do some less wholesome things I’ll probably deny if my own kids ask about them. Meanwhile, at the other end of the educational chain a lot of parents are struggling; not with how to spend those first warm sunny days but how to afford high-quality preschool education for their 4-year-olds. So why not address both issues – the lameness of the senior year and the pre-K access issue – with one reform: Abolish the senior year and instead using that money to create universal access to pre-K education?

You don’t need to abolish anything to read the entire column here. Tell me all about your school skipping days or your gap year plans on Twitter.