Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein high school went on to attend a college or university.

Argument: 

Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein high school went on to attend a college or university.  Today, two-thirds of the students who graduated from Einstein high school do so.  Clearly, Einstein has improved its educational effectiveness over the past two decades.  This improvement has occurred despite the fact that the school’s funding, when adjusted for inflation, is about the same as it was 20 years ago.  Therefore, we do not need to make any substantial increase in the school’s funding at this time.  

Question:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and use the evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refuse the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion. 

Answer: 

The statement argues that Einstein high school does not need to have bigger its funding because more students graduated from Einstein high school has been able to attend a college or university without funding raise.  This conclusion is made by a premise that quality of the education at Einstein high school has been improved.  However, some unreasonable assumptions lessen credibility of this statement.  

The first issue to be addressed is transition of the society.  Compared to this moment, there were more students who had to start working right after graduation from their high school twenty years ago.  That is, fewer students could enter a college or university after high school in the past.  On contrast, more students can afford their college now than two decades ago, by financial support from their family or various scholarship programs.   Therefore, increased number of students who attend a college is irrelevant to school funding.  

Also, the author's idea has lack of explanation about the number of students enrolled in Einstein high school.  That is a significant matter to this argument.  It is a big social problem that parents have fewer children than before.  In the past, many families had three or four children but, especially in developed countries, typical families have one or two children.  The more children a family has, the less affordability a family has for a college.  The author must account for social change in the number of children.  

Finally, requirement for college admission must be analyzed.  Since there are fewer children nowadays, a number of colleges and universities just might ease their requirement to enter.  For example, required GPA could be lower than before.  College is also business that has to generate profit from tuition fees so that consistent number of students must be enrolled.  

While it may seem true that Einstein high school does not need to raise the funding because of increased number of the students who went on to a college, some flaws in assumptions refuse it.  It is because there are other possible causes such as affordability of each student, fewer children in the society, and admission requirement.  This matter is not only with its school's funding.  Before any conclusion is made, the author must consider all aspects of the topic.