In this section, we will walk you through the process of writing a synthesis essay: understanding the task, analyzing a series of readings, and writing an argument using them. Here is your prompt:
Declining test scores, low rankings of K–12 schools in comparison to their international counterparts, and mounting debt from college tuition are among the factors that have led to severe criticism of the U.S. education system from preschool through the university. In fact, many have described public education as “the civil rights issue of our time.” Using the text by Horace Mann and at least three other sources, write an essay explaining why you agree or disagree with this characterization of education.
What does this prompt direct you to do? It opens with a statement of fact about criticism being leveled at education in America. The second sentence introduces a viewpoint—that is, education is the civil rights issue of our time. What are “civil rights”? You might think immediately of the civil rights movement that fought for racial equality under the law—particularly during the 1960s. But here the term refers to the freedoms and rights granted to all citizens that make “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” a reality. Although education is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution, or in any of its amendments, every state has compulsory education laws requiring young people to attend school, and the Fourteenth Amendment states, “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Could equal protection be interpreted as requiring an equal quality of education? Could flaws in the educational system be interpreted as depriving a person of “life, liberty, or property”? In the third sentence of the prompt, you are asked to explain why you agree or disagree with the statement that education today is not just “a” civil rights issue but “the” civil rights issue of our time. Notice, too, that the definition of “education” is left open; there is no specific level of education mentioned. The third sentence also instructs you to use particular sources in your essay.
Before reading the texts, think about how the sources will help you complete the assignment. As we’ve discussed, sources can illustrate or support your own ideas. If your initial response to the prompt is that disparities in educational opportunities make public education a civil rights issue, then you can look to your sources to help you make that point. But it’s important not to summarily reject texts that disagree with your position or are not directly relevant to it. In fact, you might use a text that presents an opposing opinion as a counterargument and then concede and refute it. Most important, keep an open mind while you read the sources so that your thesis shows that you understand the complexity of the subject of education as well as the implications of describing the contemporary system of education as a “civil rights issue.”
Sources
Horace Mann, from Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education (1848)
Norman Rockwell, The Problem We All Live With (1964)
Edward P. Jones, The First Day (1992)
Antonio Alvarez, Out of My Hands (2008)
Blake Ellis, Average Student Loan Debt Nears $27,000 (2012)
David Kirp, The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools (2013)
Ross Douthat, The Secrets of Princeton (2013)
Caroline M. Hoxby and Christopher Avery, from The Missing “One-Offs”: The Hidden Supply of High-Achieving, Low-Income Students (2013)