Last week at age 18 Danielle McBurnett become the youngest nurse practitioner in the country at age 18.

She started taking college classes at age 12, and graduated high school at 15 before enrolling in the nursing program at Arizona State University.

Arizona Central reports that McBurnett “doesn’t believe in being limited by the date on which she was born.”

In Minnesota, the first state to institute post-secondary enrollment options (PSEO), over 120,000 high school students have chosen to enter college early since 1984.

Imagine both what’s possible in terms of unusually capable (or mature) students moving on when they are ready—or in savings. At $10,000 per student per year, the amount of money a state could save if just a small portion of students entered college early adds up quickly.

Last week we reported on a blog wondering whether technology could be used better if placed in school models that treat students more like responsible adults, and in June had a post on Abby Sunderland, who created a stir when at age 16 she attempted to sail solo around the world.

In this paper E|E asks whether it is time to reconsider the notion of adolescence?

Photo: Danielle McBurnett