Here is a startling statistic: more than 75 % of students who start at Cerritos College and declare transfer, AA, or certificate as their goal, never achieve that goal. Why does this happen?

For this assignment you will investigate why so many students fail to achieve the academic goals they set for themselves. Identify the barriers to their success. Focus your research on academic and institutional issues rather than personal problems.

Once you have determined some of the causes underlying the high dropout rate, decide what should be done about the problem and propose a solution. As you present this proposal, think about your audience. Are you writing to students? To instructors? To college administrators? To the college president? To the board of trustees? Your choice of audience will frame how you will present your proposal.

An effective paper will provide evidence to support the explanation of the problem and to persuade the audience that this is indeed a problem. The paper will also provide ample evidence to support the proposed solution and persuade the audience that this is a viable solution to that problem. Try to address any objections your audience might have to your proposed solutions. Keep in mind, this is not simply an opportunity for you to ramble on with your opinion.  It won’t be enough to say this problem needs to change. You need to prove that making this change will make a difference.

The essay will need to be a MINIMUM of FIVE pages. Essays that do not meet the minimum page requirement will not be eligible for a passing grade. You must use at least FIVE sources as you develop your paper, which means I will expect to see evidence that you are using your sources both through in-text citations and a list of works cited at the end of the essay. Essays that do not include BOTH in-text citations and a list of works cited will not be eligible for a passing grade.

You will need to carefully consider the tone of your essay. If you are writing to students, you will use a different tone than if you choose to address the president of the college. The essay should not be about you personally. Just because you are having a problem, doesn’t mean it is a problem for many students. Essays that focus on individual needs appear self-serving and are unlikely to persuade the readers to take action. However, if you can demonstrate, through credible evidence, that many students struggle with the same issue, and offer sound solutions, your audience is much more likely to take your proposal seriously. As such, I would expect to see little, if any, first person pronouns (I). This isn’t about you.

Important Dates:

Oct 28: Begin Essay. Brainstorm Topics. Homework: Begin investigation of problems.

Nov 2: Evaluating Sources—Making sure the sources you are working with are credible.

Nov 4: Timed Writing

Nov 9 & Nov 11: No class. Nov 9^th would be a great day to work in the library collecting your information. Nov 11 is a school holiday. Everything will be closed.

Nov 16: Introduction to MLA documentation

Nov 18: Peer Review Essay #4

Nov 23: Essay #4 Due

DO NOT PROCRASTINATE ON THIS ASSIGNMENT! Research takes time, and synthesizing and analyzing that information takes time. Documenting your sources takes time. Writing a quality paper takes time. If you find yourself stuck, come and see me right away. I will do what I can to help you get unstuck.

You must include all of your prewriting and rough drafts with the final draft of your essay. I will not accept essays that do not include documentation that a writing process was used to develop the essay.

Helpful Websites:

Writing an A+ Paper: http://www.ipl.org/div/teen/aplus/

Cerritos College Research and Development: http://cms.cerritos.edu/research-and-planning

Center for Student Success: http://rpgroup.org/css/index.html

California Community Colleges- Reports: http://www.cccco.edu/ChancellorsOffice/Reports/tabid/1327/Default.aspx

California Basic Skills Initiative: http://www.cccbsi.org/