Debate Program Gains Popularity in Urban Schools

--From the Urban Advocate, published by the National School Boards Association, March 2000

In urban high schools across the nation, student debate teams are being resurrected to teach critical-thinking skills and promote students' interest in education.

Many of these high schools are in big-city districts-Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, New York City, St. Louis, San Francisco and Oakland, Calif.-that have signed on to the Urban Debate Program (UDP), sponsored by the Open Society Institute in New York.

Although student debate teams have been around for years, "unfortunately, the opportunities debate provides were eliminated in many urban school districts for budgetary reasons, leaving urban kids without access to programs that suburban and rural districts take for granted," says Gra LaMarche, UDP spokesperson.

The purpose of the UDP is to help at-risk students by engaging them in writing, critical thinking, and in-depth library and Internet research-the kind of skills that are important to academic success, UDP officials say.

According to UDP Program Officer Beth Breger, the benefits of urban debate programs are significant, regardless of participating students' past academic record. Students generally recieve higher grades, are more likely to continue their education, and less likely to become pregnant or use drugs.

What's more, "debate teaches students to use words to gain respect and gives them an outlet for day-to-day conflicts without using physical aggression," LaMarche adds.

Based on a program develped at the Emory University and used in the Atlanta Public Schools for years, UDP provides seed money and support services to establish local debate programs.

During the school year, the program sponsors debate classes, intensive one-on-one and small-group training, and competitive tournaments. Students also can earn scholarships to participate in summer debate camps at elite college debate programs.

Most local programs are a collaborative project of local schools, a UDP affiliate, and a local college or university, Breger says. In Atlanta, for example, tournaments for the city schools are conducted in collaboration with Emory University. In St. Louis, school officials work with the University of Missour at St. Louis.

Contact: Urban Debate Program, (212) 548-0617; bbreger@sorosny.org; www.soros.org/usdebate.