Conduct thorough research to confirm the validity of your claims. Consult the website of the National Center for Education Statistics for official data by the U.S. Department of Education (NCES). For example, you can stress the need to focus on numeracy, as the U.S. is behind a number of Asian and European countries in the average mathematics scores of 4th- and 8th-grade students, according to the NCES's "The Condition of Education 2010" report.
Write in a language that corresponds to your audience. You cannot use technical terms or include excessive statistical data when your essay is targeted to the public. However, when you refer to committees or education professionals, proved research and knowledge of the topic adds credibility to your essay.
Focus on one issue to write about instead of composing an essay on the general needs of education. You must concentrate on one subject, such as literature, math, geography or history, or even on the teaching of specific topics, like irregular verbs, fractions and civil rights.
Refer to the level students must reach after completing a course or program. Be specific and mention evaluable facts; for example, by the time kids complete the second grade, they must be able to do additions and subtractions with two- and three-digit numbers, as well as recognize different shapes.
Mention proposed methods of helping students reach a higher level. Accompany each objective with the way of achieving it, referring for example to the use of multimedia documentaries when introducing historical events. This way you can avoid mentioning unachievable objectives.
Indicate the benefits of reaching your proposed objectives in various respects. For instance, literacy skills development during lower grades can help students score higher later in their education, while achieving advanced numeracy skills in college can result in the graduation of more qualified professionals.