In a formal MLA essay of at least 495 words, you’ll need to construct an argument to support a position that answers one of the following two questions. A quick warning—both of these questions are still intentionally broad and vague, so make sure that your essay has a strong argumentative thesis with a focused limit. You must incorporate a counter-argument. The counter-argument must be an actual counter-argument, not just someone you made up. Remember that one way to strengthen an argument is by incorporating academic research and providing proper citations.
1. What is a class that high schools don’t offer but should?
Financial Literacy: Critical Class High Schools Must Require
Despite growing conversations about education reform, one glaring omission remains in most high school curricula: financial literacy. In an age where young adults are expected to make complex financial decisions shortly after graduation—such as managing student loans, applying for credit cards, and budgeting for independent living—it is irresponsible that many high schools still do not offer a required financial literacy course. High schools should mandate financial literacy as a core class because it equips students with essential life skills, promotes long-term economic stability, and addresses systemic inequality in access to financial knowledge.
A mandatory financial literacy class would prepare students to handle real-world responsibilities that most will face within a few years of graduation. As the Council for Economic Education reports, only 25 states in the U.S. require students to take a personal finance course (CEE 6). In states where such courses are required, students demonstrate better credit behavior and lower default rates later in life (Urban et al. 8). Teaching topics such as interest rates, taxes, savings, and debt management in high school empowers students with the tools to make informed choices, helping them avoid common pitfalls like predatory loans or overspending on credit.
Moreover, financial education promotes not only individual success but broader economic well-being. The National Financial Educators Council found that in 2023, Americans collectively estimated losing over $436 billion due to a lack of personal finance knowledge (NFEC). By integrating financial literacy into high school curricula, the education system could directly reduce such losses, contributing to more economically resilient communities. This is especially critical in underserved and low-income areas, where financial literacy rates tend to be lower due to a lack of generational financial knowledge (Lusardi and Mitchell 42). Thus, requiring this course is a matter of equity as much as education.
However, some educators argue that high school curricula are already overloaded, and adding another required course may strain schedules and resources. Diane Ravitch, a prominent education historian, notes that “schools have been turned into testing factories,” leaving little room for electives or non-tested subjects (Ravitch 112). While this concern is valid, it highlights the need to reevaluate curriculum priorities. If high school is meant to prepare students for adult life, then financial literacy deserves at least equal emphasis as subjects like geometry or classical literature. Creative scheduling or integrating financial education into existing math or social studies courses could provide a practical solution.
Ultimately, the benefits of a mandatory financial literacy class far outweigh the logistical challenges. Providing all students—regardless of background—with the financial tools to succeed is not just good policy; it is a moral imperative. In a society where financial missteps can lead to lifelong consequences, we cannot afford to let our students graduate unprepared.
** This is the rough draft that I have written
**** Here are the instructions given by the professor on this rough draft
Before I get into the critiques of this essay, I want to say the good things: your counter-argument was an actual person, I like that you ceded, and you had good use of logos. These are strengths Desai 3 of the essay. However, these strengths do not diminish how much deep, substantial revision this essay needs. The draft you submitted was 452 words. Citations do not count towards word count. The minimum is 500. That’s a minimum, not a maximum. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt that your sources are of a quality worthy of a formal college essay. Without a WkC, I cannot verify that. In the rewrite, failure to include even an attempt at a WkC will significantly and negatively impact the format score. There are resources to help you write a formal MLA WkC on blackboard: Supplemental Resources tab, Supplemental Powerpoints folder, Research and Citation sub-folder. There are also resources in the textbook. This essay did something that I’ve seen students do in the past: use research as a way of trying to get out of setting a limit. The logic tends to go that if you have enough high-quality research, that will fulfill the details and specifics I am requiring. It does not. Part of the assignment was to take my overly-broad topic and cut out a smaller sub-topic, a limit, that you could focus on in 500 words. If you do not do that, you are not fulfilling the assignment as I wrote it on the prompt. Because you never set a limit, your essay was overly broad and general, sometimes even inaccurate. The strongest part of the essay was the counter-argument because it was an actual teacher in an actual classroom talking about actual lessons. The counter-argument was more convincing than your argument because you were being general and broad. Rather than try to talk about all high schools on the planet, pick one specific high school, or one specific region