Before you formulate your own position, you should take stock of the issues. Try not to divide the sources into “pro” and “con” positions because that will just create a dividing line between agreement and disagreement rather than allow you to delve into more subtle ideas. Your goal when you read sources provided for you or when you research on your own is to look for multiple perspectives—a range of ways to consider a topic or subject. It’s especially important to be open to positions that you find less appealing or actually disagree with, at least at the beginning of your research. What would be the purpose of consulting sources if all you want to do is validate your own position? You may, in fact, find sources that do just that, but in the process of reading and analyzing, you are likely to gain a more in-depth understanding of the complexity of your subject. The more ways you consider an issue, the more likely you are to write a clear and logically informed argument.

For example, you might note that both the story “The First Day” and the first-person narrative “Out of My Hands” focus on families struggling economically. Yet both of these texts are evidence of a profound faith in the power of education to improve financial security and to provide opportunities for personal growth. That faith reflects the potential that Horace Mann expressed. Looking at the Norman Rockwell painting, however, we see that during the civil rights era, race was a barrier to equal access to education. Has Brown v. Board of Education made segregated schools illegal? The Rockwell image and the autobiographical “Out of My Hands” both seem to ask whether legislation and laws can change social attitudes and behavior.

Several of the texts focus on money in terms of both the affordability of college and how it affects college admissions. Research in “The Missing ‘One-Offs’” shows that exclusive schools often offer applicants substantial financial support, yet high-achieving, low-income students are less inclined to apply to those schools. David Kirp’s report on Union City schools, however, provides conflicting evidence: that is, he shows that given high expectations and high-quality instruction, students who are not born into affluent, well-educated families can start their own tradition of graduating from college. Will these Union City graduates, then, break the spell of “elite self-segregation” that Ross Douthat argues prevails at such competitive institutions?

Now that you’ve begun to explore the texts through the lens of multiple perspectives, a series of issues should emerge. It’s often useful to restate issues as questions. Consider the following and develop at least three other questions of your own:

These questions—and others you might have—illustrate the complexity of the issue and ensure that you do not develop an argument that is one-sided, polarized between “yes” and “no,” or the written equivalent of a shouting match. Instead, you want to present your viewpoint in an essay that reflects the complexities surrounding the topic.

The fact is, you can rarely change a reader’s mind radically or immediately. But you can aim for creating a compelling argument that leaves the reader thinking, questioning, considering, and reconsidering. To do this, you have to acknowledge that the issue at hand is a complex one with no easy solutions and that a variety of valid perspectives on the matter exist. You want to present a reasonable idea in a voice that is logical, informed, and sincere. To write a qualified argument, you must anticipate objections to your position and recognize and respect the complexities of multiple perspectives.

With these questions and issues in mind, you can begin to formulate a thesis, or claim, that captures your position on the topic. Consider the following working thesis statements:

Although you might want to tailor one of these working thesis statements to use in your essay, each one suggests a clear focus while acknowledging the complexities of the issue.