argument26 [0710G 戴三个表冲刺小组] 第2次作业

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Argument 26
The following is a memo from the superintendent of the Mylar school district. "A recent six-month study, in which breakfast was made available at school for 100 schoolchildren ages five to twelve, found that children on the breakfast plan were less likely than other children to be absent from or late for school. Clearly, eating breakfast before school plays a role in reducing student absenteeism and tardiness. It is also well known that children who regularly eat a healthful breakfast tend to perform better in school. Therefore, in order to reduce absenteeism and tardiness and to improve academic performance in all of Mylar's elementary and secondary schools, we should provide breakfasts for all students before each school day."

This memo recommends that Mylar's elementary and secondary schools should provide breakfasts for all students before each school day in order to reduce absenteeism and tardiness and to improve academic performance. To support this recommendation the author point out that in the past six months, 100 schoolchildren ages five to twelve who are on the breakfast plan where less likely than other children to be absent from or late for school. The author also cites that children who regularly eat healthful breakfast tend to perform better in school. I find this argument unconvincing for several reasons.

First and foremost the author provides absolutely no evidence that the school can provide a sufficiently healthful breakfast as assumed. Since only by eating a healthful breakfast regularly can the children tend to perform better in school as author claimed. The author must provide some evidence that the school provide the healthful breakfast for the children before I can accept the author's final conclusion that the children who eat breakfast can improve academic performance.

Secondly, the author assumes that the schoolchildren's puncture and regular attendance attribute to eating breakfast regularly. However, the author overlooks other possible causes, living near the school, convenient transportation. By the same token, the students who are likely to be late or absent may live a little far from the school, or have an inconvenient transportation. In other words, without ruling out alternative causes of absenteeism and tardiness, the author cannot justify conclude that merely by provide the breakfast for students before each school day can reduce absenteeism and tardiness.

Thirdly, a series of problems with the argument arise from the scant statistical information on which it relies. First there are 100 schoolchildren, relatively a small number compared with all the students of Mylar's elementary and secondary schools, can they serve as representative of all the students of this area. Secondly perhaps the absenteeism and tardiness in the past six months were aberrations and during last year the student who did not eat breakfast may less likely to be absent from or late for school. The participants age five to twelve, not a good representative of all the students of Mylar's elementary and secondary schools since there are some older or younger students. In short, since the argument relies on very limited statistical information I cannot take the author's recommendation seriously.

In conclusion, the recommendation for providing breakfast to reduce absenteeism and tardiness is not well supported. To convince me that providing breakfasts for all students before each school day can reduce absenteeism and tardiness and to improve academic performance, the author must provide clear evidence that the breakfast the school provided is sufficiently healthful. The author must also supply evidence that eating breakfast is responsible for less absenteeism and tardiness and the 100 participants’ age form five to twelve serve enough and good representative of all the elementary and secondary school students of Mylar.