How the budget cuts affect the promise of higher education (Community College of California) in California?

Research Essay: Research Proposal (English class)
Researching California Issues:  What are the most important problems and/or controversies facing California today, and what should we (or can we) do about these challenges?
My group topic: California Education
My subtopic choice: How the budget cuts affect the promise of higher education (Community College of California) in California?
(One student of my group will write about same subtopic, but she will research about UC, CSU and I will research about Community college of California)

The purpose of the proposal is to select/report the significant information you have gathered so far, and to explain what you intend to explore as you continue your research- the questions you wish to answer, your purpose in answering these questions and your plan for finding answers.
Required elements:
–    A synopsis of what you have learned through your research so far. Focus on the most significant information. Look for logical relationships (i.e. cause and effect), patterns and even contradictions in the evidence you have chosen. Be sure to cite the source of information clearly. ***
–    A research question which focuses your subtopic and directs your research. When answered, this question can form your thesis statement.
–    Your purpose in answering this question. What do you hope to accomplish by doing/presenting this research? Who would be interested in your research?
–    Work to be done (This includes questions that are still unanswered, new questions that have arisen in the course of your research and specific information/statistics you are still trying to find.
Your research proposal should be in paragraph format, with clear subsections answering each required element. This main goal is to use the evidence you’ve found so far to form an interesting question- one that you will be able to answer through your research and which will form a strong essay thesis when answered.

***WARNING: Keep track of sources of information from the beginning. It is very important to have a system for organizing information where your information comes from!!

Research Requirements:
-You must and use at least 4 reliable, useful articles as sources as sources in your essay. Because you are researching modern issues, your articles should be mostly current: 2005 or newer.
-Any articles that you find through the library databases are considered reliable: print or online articles from local newspapers are also considered reliable (watch out for editorials.) Articles found through internet search engines must be evaluated for reliability. Finally, you may use 1 website as a source for your essay (.gov and .edu usually reliable sources)