Executive Summary: Graduation Rates
- Dr. Briana Mezuk conducted a study of 12,179 Chicago Public Schools students, of whom 2,614 participated in the Chicago Debate League's urban debate program. She further examined outcomes for 2,614 African American male students, of whom 458 competed in urban debate, after controlling for previous academic achievement and socio-economic status.
- Urban debaters were significantly more likely to finish high school than their non-debater peers:
- Overall, Chicago students in the sample had a high school graduation rate of 55 percent.
- Among urban debaters in Chicago schools, the graduation rate was 77 percent.
- African American males in Chicago schools graduate at a rate of about 44 percent.
- African American males who participated in urban debate graduated at a rate of 73 percent.
Read "Urban Debate Leagues: An Effective and Proven Solution to Raise Graduation Rates in Low-Performing Urban Schools" here.
