Osailan 1 Hussam Osailan Ryan Scariano English 201 February 25, 2016 Free Education as a Popular Issue The idea of free education is quickly becoming a controversial and much debated political topic throughout the world. Social media and the internet have provided people with a platform in which to express their opinions about whether or not education should be free for all without compromising quality. This picture, which is from a website for the British Green Party, shows one side of the free education debate. This topic originally interested me because I come from a country where education is free and where everyone has the opportunity to go to college or university regardless of economic status. In fact, I am in the United States right now because the government of Saudi Arabia has a multi-million dollar scholarship program that gives Saudi students the opportunity to study in the U.S. and other countries free of cost. After being in the U.S. for 3 years I now realize how lucky I am to have free education. Supporters of free education argue that education has become more of a business enterprise rather than a basic human right. In addition, the cost of learning and education is placing an unnecessary economic burden on students who end up owing the government large amounts of money. In addition, the right to education is quickly turning into a privilege for those who can actually afford it. For example, I recently learned that my friend had to take out over $100,000 to help pay for her master’s degree at Georgetown University. I asked her to tell me more. She said that she was able to pay for her bachelor’s degree through government grants based on her income and age. She also attended community college where she paid for tuition on her own by working full time. Her experience gives a prime example of how complicated the current U.S. education system is and also what works and what doesn’t work. She is in extreme debt and will likely be in debt or a large portion of her life because of the loans she was forced to take out for only 2 years of schooling. While Georgetown is considered one of the top universities in the world and quality of education was definitely not compromised with her decision to attend there, she has expressed concern about whether or not the debt she has was worth it. Supporters also say that education is a political choice, not a necessity. In fact, there are several countries with a free education system that seems to be working. Several of these countries are located in Europe, where the quality of education is not questioned. From what I’ve read, governments are able to subsidize the cost of tuition fees at universities and colleges through higher income tax. Many who are against free education argue that if the U.S. were to adopt a free education system that the income tax rates would skyrocket. In considering the policies of Saudi Arabia one more time I feel that we, again, are quite lucky. Free education d.

1. Osailan 1
Hussam Osailan
Ryan Scariano
English 201
February 25, 2016
Free Education as a Popular Issue
The idea of free education is quickly becoming a controversial
and much debated political topic throughout the world. Social
media and the internet have provided people with a platform in
which to express their opinions about whether or not education
should be free for all without compromising quality. This
picture, which is from a website for the British Green Party,
shows one side of the free education debate. This topic
originally interested me because I come from a country where
education is free and where everyone has the opportunity to go
to college or university regardless of economic status. In fact, I
am in the United States right now because the government of
Saudi Arabia has a multi-million dollar scholarship program
that gives Saudi students the opportunity to study in the U.S.
and other countries free of cost. After being in the U.S. for 3
years I now realize how lucky I am to have free education.
Supporters of free education argue that education has become
more of a business enterprise rather than a basic human right. In
addition, the cost of learning and education is placing an
unnecessary economic burden on students who end up owing the
government large amounts of money. In addition, the right to
education is quickly turning into a privilege for those who can
actually afford it. For example, I recently learned that my friend
had to take out over $100,000 to help pay for her master’s
degree at Georgetown University. I asked her to tell me more.
She said that she was able to pay for her bachelor’s degree
through government grants based on her income and age. She

2. also attended community college where she paid for tuition on
her own by working full time. Her experience gives a prime
example of how complicated the current U.S. education system
is and also what works and what doesn’t work. She is in
extreme debt and will likely be in debt or a large portion of her
life because of the loans she was forced to take out for only 2
years of schooling. While Georgetown is considered one of the
top universities in the world and quality of education was
definitely not compromised with her decision to attend there,
she has expressed concern about whether or not the debt she has
was worth it.
Supporters also say that education is a political choice, not a
necessity. In fact, there are several countries with a free
education system that seems to be working. Several of these
countries are located in Europe, where the quality of education
is not questioned. From what I’ve read, governments are able to
subsidize the cost of tuition fees at universities and colleges
through higher income tax. Many who are against free education
argue that if the U.S. were to adopt a free education system that
the income tax rates would skyrocket. In considering the
policies of Saudi Arabia one more time I feel that we, again, are
quite lucky. Free education does not come from taxes. Instead,
the Saudi government allocates 25 percent of its annual budget
towards education. In comparison, the U.S. allocates only 2
percent.
Nonetheless, the idea of free education seems to be catching on.
In the United States, a country that does not currently offer free
education, President Obama announced in 2015 a plan to make
community college free. One of his primary reasons is to make
the U.S. workforce more competitive in the global market and in
the understanding that a high school diploma does not provide
enough opportunities for economic and social growth in today’s
economy. There are a few states like Tennessee and parts of
Illinois that have adopted different versions of the “free
community college” idea. Despite their noteworthy concept,
these programs tend to be mostly merit-based and are limited in

3. their demographic scope. On the other hand, supporters of free
education promote a system that will help liberate society of a
lot of its primary problems such as unemployment, hunger and
poverty ultimately leading to an increased quality of life. Other
benefits they promote are that it allows students to focus on
learning, rather than impending tuition payments and better
governance by ensuring more people are making more informed
decisions at election time. One of the most common arguments
in support of free education is the idea of equal opportunity and
allowing everyone the chance to achieve their full potential. In
doing so, society will unlock talented and intelligent minds that
may not have had the opportunity if it weren’t for free
education.
The picture I chose for this project is part of a larger marketing
campaign by the British Green Party which is being used to
display the foundational beliefs of the political party in an
clear, easy to read way. In choosing a “hashtag” they are
inviting people to join in on the conversation about free
education. So I decided to do just that. In a quick internet
search of the hashtag “free education”, the most recent
developments are about something that happened in Ontario,
Canada late last week. Due to pressure from the Canadian
Federation of Students in Ontario, the government has passed an
ordinance that allocates $1 billion dollars a year towards grants
that will allow low-income students to go to college and
university for free. Interestingly, none of the free education
hashtags that I saw originated from the United States. I was
surprised by this given the problems facing my friend and
thousands of other Americans in similar situations to her.
Again, it made me thankful that in my country we have the
opportunity to access good quality education for free and at low
cost to the citizens of Saudi Arabia at large.

4. Work Cited
Free Education. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web.
Staff, Attn. "Attn." Attn. Attn Staff, 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 29
Feb. 2016. http://www.attn.com/.
Osailan1
Hussam Osailan
Ryan Scariano
English 201
February 4, 2016
Education Segregation in the United States
Education is a critical component of a country’s future, and the
quality of a country’s citizens determines the level of prosperity
its community will enjoy. In multicultural societies emerging in
the modern world, there exist variables among citizens that
limit their access to education. An advanced country should
have in place an education system that offers all children the
chance to a quality education. Nonetheless, many advanced
countries education systems displays weaknesses that inhibit the
ability of some students to acquire a meaningful education.
Kozol examines this situation in his article, ‘From Still
Separate, Still Unequal: America’s Educational Apartheid.’ His
major contention is that there exists a wide disparity between

5. America’s urban public schools, largely attended by black,
Hispanic, or Native American students, and the schools attended
by white children. While efforts towards integration of the
education system to suit the requirements of all American
students, there continues to be wide drift between the quality of
education received by disadvantaged and privileged children.
This paper argues that the public education systems in many
multi-ethnic societies such as America, lack the capacity to
offer competitive education on the same level as the one
enjoyed by privileged children.
Jonathan Kozol’s article kicks off with an emphasis on the
racial composition of reputable public schools across major
cities in the United States. The year 2002-2003 saw Chicago
public schools recording 87% African American or Hispanic.
White students made up less than 10%. The position is
comparable in many other cities, with Los Angeles recording
84%, Washington, D.C., 94% Kozol. These figures immediately
point towards an underlying problem that leads to public
schools selectively attracting students from certain racial
groups. Whereas statistics do not suffice as a pointer towards
segregation, the author explores the underlying factors that lead
to this situation. In the article, ‘Race Is Not Neutral: A National
Investigation of African American and Latino
Disproportionality in School Discipline’, the authors assessment
the observed trends of office discipline recommendations in 364
institutions to make their conclusions. Through their descriptive
and logistic analysis, the authors find that African American
students are two to three instances more probable to be
recommended to the office for behavior-related problems in
comparison to Caucasian students Further, the authors find that
their findings are in line with a history of similar observations
while at the same time advocating for exertions in policy,
exercise, and study redressing the pervasive cultural and ethnic
inconsistencies in school discipline.
‘The Race Discrimination System’ is an article by Barbara
Reskin, attempting to show the effect of race across various

6. domains of multi-ethnic societies. Her argument is convincing,
where she evaluates the interdependence between the domains,
and how they individually compromise an integrated system.
While she acknowledges government efforts in reducing these
racial disparities, she points to the haphazard manner in which
policy interventions are applied to the failure of integration
efforts. She recommends a systems approach in integration
efforts attacking the system, simultaneously reducing
achievement gaps between disparate ethnic groups.
‘Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT
and College Enrollment’ examines some of the factors that
confer educational advantages to students in an already
privileged position. The authors rely on a national educational
longitudinal study where the student’s possibility for
participation, and impact of SAT preparation on quality of
education of American students. The authors choose the SAT
examination owing to the importance it holds for American
students. The authors note how SAT preparation services have
grown into a multi-million industry. Inherently, the services are
meant to benefit the affluent who can pay for the service,
segregating the majority who cannot afford these services. This
situation has seen concerns raised from various quarters on the
fairness of standardized tests since they are administered to
students who have had differing levels of preparedness.
David Autor in the article ‘Skills, Education, and the Rise of
Earnings Inequality among the “Other 99 Percent”’ analyzes
earnings inequality that affects the majority of citizens, citing
the 99% vs. 1% income inequality. The author contends that
demand and supply of skills are central in determining the
levels of income enjoyed by various segments of society (Autor,
2014). He uses a discussion on the ever-rising skills demand in
the developed countries, and how this model can be replicated
to benefit all segments of society. He recommends that public
policy take a central role in promoting skills acquisition as well
as preserving economic mobility to all segments of the
population.

7. Charter schools have come under deserved scrutiny in the
discussion on segregation in the American education system.
The article, ‘Schools without Diversity: Education Management
Organizations, Charter Schools, and the Demographic
Stratification of the American School System’, the author
examine chartered schools and their contribution to education
integration. Proponents of chartered schools argue that there are
a high number of economically underprivileged and minority
students in chartered schools. On the other hand, opponents of
this claim hold that these numbers are explainable with the fact
that most chartered schools are in urban areas where there are
large numbers of underprivileged and poor residents. The
authors examine this issue by evaluating whether chartered
schools integrate students on four demographic indicators
namely; ethnicity/ social arrangement, socio-economic position,
disability/ special condition, and language facilitation. The
study concluded that chartered schools exacerbate segregation
in education. From ‘Still Separate, Still Unequal: America’s
Educational Apartheid,' the author commences with a strong
presentation of data showing the stark disparity in the racial
composition of public schools. The data appeals to the reader’s
logic, introducing the problem to the reader’s mind. While the
data presented is strong evidence of obvious segregation in
American public school system, the author takes the reader to
the situation on the ground, helping account for the numbers
recorded. While the system strives to be seen as integrating, the
evidence presented in the article proves otherwise. He states
examples of schools set up during the integration movement
whose intention was to promote integration in schools, and
assesses the impact they have had towards promoting
integration in American schools. In New York City, a school
named in honor of Langston Hughes has a 99% black and
Hispanic composition, while another named after Jackie
Robinson has a 96% black and Hispanic composition. This
evidence shows that officially cited examples of success in the
integration movement are failures. The continued demeaning of

8. the situation continues to disillusion many underprivileged
learners and the families on whether they are part of the system.
Further, the author uses firsthand accounts of students in
marginalized areas to show the feeling of these people on the
efforts taken to integrate them into the education system.
Evaluating the sentiment of the affected population appeals to
the emotion of the reader, to emphasize the gravity of the
matter.
The education situation in any society is a product of its social
structure. The demographic realities in the country are reflected
in the education system, with the privileged and their less
privileged counterparts receiving differing qualities of
education. The efforts taken towards making the schooling
system inclusive for all has to a large part failed, with public
schools continually recording an extreme majority of their
students from the underprivileged such as the black and the
Hispanic communities. From the revolutionary age of
integration, where success gap among the black and the white
students reduced for three consecutive decades up to the 80’s,
the gap has since widened (Kozol, 2005). Further, the
mainstream society media included applies evasive techniques
when addressing the issue of segregation in schools. Schools
with as low as five percent populations of white students, are
referred to as diverse in a cunning move to dilute the apparent
segregation in public schools. With the dominance of chartered
schools regarding performance, in comparison to the public
schools, arguing that chartered schools promote integration
would be misleading. Studies show that chartered schools
advance segregation, where only a quarter of the schools
reported a composition that mirrored the home district (Miron,
Urschel, Mathis, & Tornquist, 2010). The disparity in
achievement levels between children of comparable ages but
from varied backgrounds is a multipronged issue that needs
comprehensive redress, especially for the benefit of
underprivileged learners.
Addressing segregation in public schools should be a concerted

9. and sincere effort by all stakeholders with the primary aim of
improving the society through strengthening its education
system. When a section of the population receives under par
education in comparison to the dominant, their chances of
competing for economic opportunities are seriously limited.
Children of privileged families are always going to enjoy the
best chances that their resources can afford. The
underprivileged who have to rely on the basic education
available need to have their access enabled to rival, if not come
close to the privileged sections of society.
Work Cited
Autor, D. H. (2014). Skills, Education, and the Rise of Earnings
Inequality Among the ‘Other 99 Percent. American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 843-851.
Buchmann, C., Condron, D. J., & Roscigno, V. J. (2010).
Shadow Education, American Style: Test Preparation, the SAT,
and College Enrollment. The Review of Economics and
Statistics, 89(2) 435-461).
Kozol, J. (2005). From Still Separate, Still Unequal: America's

10. Educational Apartheid. Harper's Magazine, 41-54.
Miron, G., Urschel, J. L., Mathis, W. J., & Tornquist, E. (2010).
Schools Without Diversity: Education Management
Organizations, Charter Schools, and the Demographic
Stratification of the American School System. Education and
the Public Interest Center & Education Policy Research Unit,
The Web.
Reskin, B. (2012). The Race Discrimination System. Annual
Review of Sociology, 38 (17-35).
Skiba, R. J., Horner, R. H., Chung, C.-G., Rausch, M. K., May,
S. L., & Tobin, T. (2011). Race Is Not Neutral: A National
Investigation of African American and Latino
Disproportionality in School Discipline. School Psychology
Review, 85-107.
Hussam Osailan
Professor
ENG
18 January 2016
Education in America
In the article, Still Separate, Still-Unequal: America's
Educational Apartheid, Jonathan Kozol talks about the
segregation in American education. It is very controversial topic
because still there is a big discrepancies between minority and
majority, whites and blacks all around this country. Truly, the
education plays the major issue in this country; therefore, Kozol
writes this persuasive article for students who are able to
understand the separation and inequality according to people's
ethnicity and skin color.
Today, there is a big segregation in public schools of
minority. He admits that students from lower classes are limited
in everything. He has been to many different schools across the
US and noticed that there is a big racial segregation. Kozol
admits that in public schools there are mostly black and

11. Hispanic students and white students make less than 10 percent.
For example, "in Washington, D.C., 94 percent of children were
black or Hispanic; less than 5 percent were white." Moreover,
the schools that go under the name of historic leaders have
mostly black and Hispanic students. The publisher notes that
white American parents do not wish to give their children in
black schools. Those parents usually give their children in
private schools where they pay thousands of dollars per year.
Basically, this shows that public schools are limiting minority
students' success and achievements.
The publisher visited many inner city schools where he
met students who were wishing to have a better circumstance.
There were schools with now windows, no parks, no sport
fields, and with no other facilities. Definitely, the students who
attend these schools have no bright future because their
education does not worth anything. These students have less
desire to go to school that most of them leave the school. It is
really sad that this problem is affecting more and more children.
Throughout the article, Kozol gives important arguments
and examples. He supports his arguments by talking with
students who go to public schools. The students say that they
cannot take the courses that they want; furthermore, they are
forced to take courses that they do not like. It shows that
government really limits students' future career choices. Kozol
says that rich people think that money does not solve the
problem, in fact, they spend a lot of money for their kids, so
they can get preliminary education. Thus, these children can
choose their favorite field of study and get a higher education
than minority students. It shows that education became a very
serious problem in this country.
Throughout the article Kozol describes the society in
different classes, such as whites and others. He uses a lot of
statistics to show that education is unfair. Also, whenever he
visited different schools he said that it was weird seeing white
students. This made me feel like whites have privileges over the
black and Hispanic students. It is really sad to see students

12. having racial conflicts from the early ages. I think this problem
really needs to be solved.
The author really calls America to access equal education
for any children because good education develops the country.
In fact, every student has a right to study; therefore, they need
to have same circumstances under the same program. After
reading this article author makes me believe that there is no
segregation and that we all are equal. This is a serious growing
problem, so he really encourages us to take an action towards
making a change in educational system. Personally, I have never
thought that there is a big racial discrimination between whites,
blacks, and Hispanics because I always believed that it is a
country of freedom and equality. Unfortunately, like
everywhere else in the world there is a racial segregation. I
totally agree with Kozol because we need that change; we need
that bright future.
Engl. 201, Synthesis and Argument
Synthesizing the Ideas in Your Sources
- What central issues, problems, or controversies do your
sources address? Who and what is involved? Why is it an issue?
Etc.
- What else do your sources have in common? Are there any
ideas found in more than one source? Facts, examples, or
statistics? Are any people or works cited in more than one
source? What common problem or problems do all your sources
discuss and agree upon, and what different solutions are
offered?
- What significant differences do you find among your sources?
Different stances? Positions? Purposes? Kinds of evidence?
Conclusions? Address each source individually—do they have
differing opinions, or do they examine different aspects of the

13. issue? If they address different issues under the same topic
umbrella, what are those different issues?
- Do any of your sources refer to one another? Build on
something said in another? Does one source provide details,
examples, or explanations that illuminate the broader overview
provided by another? Does any source respond specifically to
something said in another?
- If you were to put these authors in a room together in
conversation, where would they disagree?
- Which sources are not part of the conversation you’ve
identified?
Moving from What Your Sources Say to What You Say
- How do the ideas and information in your sources address
your research question? What answers do they give? What
information do you find the most relevant, useful, and
persuasive?
- What viewpoints in your sources do you most agree with?
Disagree with? Why?
- What conclusions can you draw from the ideas and
information you’ve learned from your
sources? What discoveries have you made in studying these
sources, and what new ideas have they led you to?
- Has your research changed your own views on your topic? Do
any of your sources raise questions that you can pursue further?
- Have you encountered any ideas that you would like to build
on—or challenge?
- From everything you’ve read, what is the significance of the

14. topic you’re researching?
Who cares, and why does it matter?
Moving Toward a Thesis Statement
- What is the most compelling common debate among your
sources? (This question helps narrow your focus if your
sources are still too broad in reach.)
- Based on what these authors have written and your own
values and experience, if you were in conversation with them,
what would your position be?
- Which solution offered (or what solution of your own) do
you think is most viable?
- Reword this solution as a claim (this is your working
thesis).
- What pieces of evidence in any of the sources would best
support your position?
- From the sources, what is the most credible
counterargument to your position?
- How would you respond to that counterargument?
- Use your sources as a jumping off point for a new argument.
Suggested argument prompts:
- Create an argument about our culture and what your
sources say about it.
- Use one or more of the examples from your sources as a
basis for a new argument.
- Use examples from your sources to argue about the way
people think, act, or
something that needs to change.
- Demonstrate that some of your sources’ claims are
flawed because they are different from yours and other

15. peoples’ experiences.
- Combine ideas from 1, 2, 3, or more of your sources to
come with a new, unique argument.
Three Thesis Models:
1. Misinterpretation model: Although many scholars have
argued about X and Y, a careful examination suggests Z.
2. Gap model: Although scholars have noted X and Y, they have
missed the importance of Z.
3. Modification model: Although I agree with the X and Y ideas
of other writers, it is important to extend/refine/limit their ideas
with Z.
Z = the findings from your research
- What insight have you gained from your analysis of the
sources? What conclusions have you come to through your
analysis? Discuss some evidence from your sources that
supports your point(s).
- Now that you have a focus for your essay and a working thesis
statement, what other information do you need to find in your
research?
Engl. 201
Research Project: The Argument Essay
For this assignment, you will put together a unique argument,
supported by academic evidence, combining your previous two

16. assignments: 1) the Literature Review and 2) the Rhetorical
Analysis with new original argumentative content.
Due Dates:
-1st draft, Tuesday 3/1 (on Canvas and 1 copy in class)
-2nd draft, Thursday 3/3 (on Canvas and 4 copies in class)
-3rd draft, Thursday 3/10 (on Canvas and 1 Copy in class)
The Complete Argument Essay Should:
1. Offer a unique thesis based upon a rhetorical analysis of your
chosen digital or visual text/s.
2. Take into consideration your literature review that provides
an overview of the important research surrounding the topic
with which you are working.
3. Use research and evidence to support an academic argument
that corrects misinterpretations, fills a gap, or modifies an idea
related to the work you analyzed.
4. Consider and respond to the plausible reactions and/or
opposing positions to your argument.
5. Raise questions for further study on this topic.
6. Be formatted according to MLA standards, and be free of
major spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors.
Argument Essay Checklist:
· Have you established a clear context for your argument?
· Is your argument significant? That is, have you established
that your topic, and your position on it, contributes to an
ongoing academic conversation?
· Are your premises and claims supported by credible reasons

17. and academic evidence?
· Did you establish a clear thesis and provide a roadmap for
your readers so they can easily follow your argument?
· Do you include clear transitions between each section of your
paper?
· Have you cited your sources correctly?
Tips and Ideas for the Argument Essay
(Section 3 of the Research Project)
The Argument Essay is the third part of your three-part
Research Project. In the first part, the Literature Review, you
surveyed the scholarly research related to your topic and
reviewed it for your reader, in order to situate your project
within the academic conversation on your topic. In the second
part of your project, The Rhetorical Analysis, you conducted an
analysis of a digital or visual text/s related to your topic. Now,
based on that analysis you can (for Part Three, the Argument
Essay):
· Summarize the findings of your analysis and discuss any
significant conclusions that you drew from the analysis:
Based on your analysis, what did you find out about…?
· Take and argue a position on your topic, based on the research
and analysis you’ve done
Now that you’ve done the research, what is your position on…?
· Make specific policy recommendations based on the first two
parts of your paper

18. What should be done about…?
Should government action be taken to deal with…?
How should consumers approach…?
· Raise issues for further discussion and research
What more needs to be studied about…?
· Bring up questions that still need to be answered
What didn’t your research cover?
What kind of more substantial study needs to be done?
Part Three needs to make a clear argument about your topic. As
such, you will need to establish a clear thesis and support it.
Your Argument Essay Thesis can be based on the thesis that you
established in your rhetorical analysis; it will become the thesis
for your whole project. For a model of what your final, overall
thesis should look like, refer to the Synthesis & Argument
Handout, available under “Guidelines” on our Canvas
homepage. Part Three should:
· Have a clear central claim (or thesis) about your topic
· Provide reasons for that claim
· Support all claims and reasons with evidence
· Consider opposing views and refute them
· Convey the overall significance of your project: it should
answer the question, “so what?”