11 Sep 2007
Fourteen Dallas ISD Schools to Participate
DALLAS–The Dallas Independent School District, in partnership with the Dallas Urban Debate League, announces the launch of a new debate program beginning this school year.
Fourteen Dallas ISD schools are participating in this inaugural year of the Dallas Urban Debate League.
The Dallas Urban Debate League is a program of Dallas ISD that is supported by grants from the Texas Bar Foundation, the Dallas Bar Foundation, the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, and by individual contributions from leaders in the Dallas legal, business, and academic communities, many of whom are former debaters.
"Dallas has long been one of the strongest debate cities in the country and a number of community leaders feel very strongly that now is the time to bring policy debate to urban students so that they can benefit from what debate has to offer. The time is right because we believe the goals of the Dallas UDL are aligned with the new and exciting strategic initiatives going on at Dallas ISD," said Craig Budner, chair of the Dallas Urban Debate Advisory Board. The Advisory Board includes educators, philanthropists, and longtime debate supporters from across Dallas.
Policy debate is one of the most academically rigorous of all interscholastic speech abilities and the oldest (dating back to 1928) of all high school academic competitions. Debate develops core academic skills: literacy, critical thinking, research, communication skills, and argumentation.
"The Dallas Urban Debate League will certainly help us achieve our goal of being the best urban school district in the nation by 2010," said Judy Johnston, director of Student Activities Programs at Dallas ISD.
The Dallas Urban Debate League will operate six tournaments during the 2007-08 school year and its students will eventually participate in many more across the Metroplex and the state of Texas.