The following appeared as part of a letter to the editor of a local newspaper:
"Bayview High School is considering whether to require all of its students to wear uniforms while at school. Students
attending Acorn Valley Academy, a private school in town, earn higher grades on average and are more likely to go
on to college. Moreover, Acorn Valley reports few instances of tardiness, absenteeism, or discipline problems. Since
Acorn Valley requires its students to wear uniforms, Bayview High School would do well to follow suit and require its
students to wear uniforms as well."
In this letter the author suggest that Bayview High School students should wear uniforms like the students of Acorn Valley Academy. The author may have achieved the correct conclusion, but the reasoning is faulty and therefore the argument is unconvinving. The argument is faulty due to the author's lack of background information, assumes the two schools as being the same, and vague language.
To begin, the author of the passage does not give any background information on the schools. From this letter the reader is unable to determine the issue that brought the athor to write this letter. Does Bayview underperform on test? Do teachers spend to much time dispracted with discipline problems? What grades are taught at Acorn Valley Academy? The author does not set the stage for the reader to understand why Bayview should switch to uniforms.
Secondly, the author assumes the two schools are the same and can be compared as such. This may not be the case. No information is given regarding the grades at Acorn Valley Academy. If Bayview has a larger teacher to student ratio than Acorn, the average grades may be lower due to students not having as much personalized attention than students receive at Acorn. Acorn may be a school that focuses on college prep while Bayview prepares students to go to trade school as well as college. If this is the case it would explain why more of Acorn's students are likely to go to college. Assuming the schools are the same, ignores all of the different factors that may go into Acorn and Bayview achieving the results that they do currently and may mean that uniforms are not a differential factor.
Lastly, the author uses vague language. The author states that Acorn's student earn higher grades, but the reader does not know how much higher. The reader does not know if Acorn's students are are earning a negligible 1% higher grade average or 50% higher. If the author incorporated percents or ratios as a way to compare the two schools, the argument would be more convincing.
In Summary, the author does not give any background information in which to set the stage for the argument, assumes the two schools as the same, and uses vague language, for these reasons the authors argument is faulty and unconvincing.
"Bayview High School is considering whether to require all of its students to wear uniforms while at school. Students
attending Acorn Valley Academy, a private school in town, earn higher grades on average and are more likely to go
on to college. Moreover, Acorn Valley reports few instances of tardiness, absenteeism, or discipline problems. Since
Acorn Valley requires its students to wear uniforms, Bayview High School would do well to follow suit and require its
students to wear uniforms as well."
In this letter the author suggest that Bayview High School students should wear uniforms like the students of Acorn Valley Academy. The author may have achieved the correct conclusion, but the reasoning is faulty and therefore the argument is unconvinving. The argument is faulty due to the author's lack of background information, assumes the two schools as being the same, and vague language.
To begin, the author of the passage does not give any background information on the schools. From this letter the reader is unable to determine the issue that brought the athor to write this letter. Does Bayview underperform on test? Do teachers spend to much time dispracted with discipline problems? What grades are taught at Acorn Valley Academy? The author does not set the stage for the reader to understand why Bayview should switch to uniforms.
Secondly, the author assumes the two schools are the same and can be compared as such. This may not be the case. No information is given regarding the grades at Acorn Valley Academy. If Bayview has a larger teacher to student ratio than Acorn, the average grades may be lower due to students not having as much personalized attention than students receive at Acorn. Acorn may be a school that focuses on college prep while Bayview prepares students to go to trade school as well as college. If this is the case it would explain why more of Acorn's students are likely to go to college. Assuming the schools are the same, ignores all of the different factors that may go into Acorn and Bayview achieving the results that they do currently and may mean that uniforms are not a differential factor.
Lastly, the author uses vague language. The author states that Acorn's student earn higher grades, but the reader does not know how much higher. The reader does not know if Acorn's students are are earning a negligible 1% higher grade average or 50% higher. If the author incorporated percents or ratios as a way to compare the two schools, the argument would be more convincing.
In Summary, the author does not give any background information in which to set the stage for the argument, assumes the two schools as the same, and uses vague language, for these reasons the authors argument is faulty and unconvincing.
