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A proposal urges readers to take action to solve a problem. To be convincing, proposals need to demonstrate that the problem must be solved and that the proposed solution is the best available option. In college, proposals may be written to solve campus problems, such as residence hall noise, or they may be more specialized, such as research proposals to seek funding to investigate how to preserve indigenous languages. Workplace proposals may be addressed to the company’s management (such as the need for investment in new technology) or to another company seeking a contract to perform certain services. In the community, proposals seek to get things done, from a neighborhood proposal for a traffic signal at a dangerous intersection to a congressional recommendation to improve the health care system.

IN COLLEGE COURSES

For an early childhood education class, a student writes a proposal that Congress require broadcast networks to provide programming to help preschool children learn English. He establishes the need for such regulation by citing statistics showing that the children of non-English-speaking parents are less likely than the children of English speakers to attend preschool. To lend credibility to his proposal, he cites a researcher specializing in the impact of media on children’s language acquisition and interviews via e-mail the programming coordinator for a national network. He counters possible objections of impracticality by citing two model programs, public television’s Sesame Street and cable’s Mi Casita (My Little House). He concludes by reminding his readers—not only his instructor but also his local Congressional representative—that those who use publicly owned airwaves are required by law to serve the public interest.

IN THE COMMUNITY

A social services administrator in a large city becomes concerned about a rise in the number of adolescents in jail. To help solve this problem, he proposes that his department intervene at the first sign of delinquent behavior in eight- to twelve-year-olds. He describes the consequences of jailing young criminals, focusing on the cost of incarceration and the high rate of recidivism (the return to criminal activity), and he provides statistics and case histories showing the positive effects of intervention for very young first offenders. He then discusses the major components of his program: finding mentors for struggling adolescents and placing social workers with troubled families. The administrator acknowledges the costs of the program but points to savings if incarceration rates are lowered.

IN THE WORKPLACE

A truck driver notices that her employer is unable to find enough short-haul drivers for deliveries. To solve this problem, she suggests in an e-mail message to her boss that the company initiate a training program to bring more women into the workforce. By interviewing other female truck drivers, she had learned that women tend to be turned off by the male-dominated truck-driving schools, so she proposes that qualified recruits be placed with experienced drivers serving as paid mentors. She recognizes that the program must not adversely affect the company’s bottom line, so she suggests that the cost of the mentorship be offset by a rookie-driver tuition fee. She concludes by pointing out that the company would not only get the skilled drivers it needs at no cost but also create an incentive (additional income) for experienced drivers to remain with the company.

In this chapter, we ask you to identify a problem you care about and write a proposal to solve it. Analyzing the reading selections that follow will help you learn how to make a convincing case for the solution you propose. The Guide to Writing later in the chapter will show you ways to use the basic features of the genre to make your proposal inventive as well as practical.