Dallas ISD Launches Citywide Urban Debate League

The Dallas area has long been the home of powerhouse private and suburban schools that have taken debate titles across the country.  Yet, as in so many other cities before the advent of the urban debate movement, urban public school students in the Dallas metroplex have had very limited access to debate and, therefore, have not largely participated or been included among these champions.  Now, however, a bold and ambitious commitment by the chief leadership of the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) has made Dallas the site of the nation’s newest Urban Debate League.  This fall, the DISD, the nation’s 10th largest school system, is rolling out urban debate in 14 high schools across the city, one of the largest UDL launches ever.

The timing of Dallas’s urban debate initiative is not accidental.  DISD is launching the Dallas UDL at a time of vibrant, far-reaching reform.  District administrators are confident that urban debate will complement and enhance their reform efforts.  Dr. Michael Hinojosa, the Superintendent of Schools at DISD, has committed the district to becoming one of the nation’s highest achieving urban school districts in the nation by 2010.  In particular, DISD’s Road to Broad – referencing the Eli Broad Prize for Urban Education, a prestigious $1 million award given to the single district with the greatest overall performance and most significant improvement – reflects the district’s commitment to be a Broad finalist by 2010 by concertedly addressing the achievement gap and by fostering a standard of academic excellence in every school.  And, the Dallas Achieves! project sets rigorous year-to-year performance targets and includes increasing the intensity and academic rigor of the general high school curriculum as one of its central objectives. 

District Activities Director Dr. Judy Johnston, the DISD administrator in charge of the new Dallas UDL, is very enthusiastic about the launch.  “When the Urban Debate League approached the DISD, I could tell from the start that this was an organization that had a track record and a quality program.  Around here, I think it will help us offer quality debating activities to students in many of our high schools that haven’t had this chance in a long while.  The District is eager to make this project a success.”  

The Dallas Independent School District has committed substantial resources to the Dallas UDL, above and beyond even what was asked during the League Forming year (July, 2006 – June, 2007).  This coming year, the Dallas UDL will operate a full six-tournament schedule for all 14 participating schools, complete with a 2008 summer institute, regular coach training seminars, and student and judge training workshops.  The track record of UDLs provides ample reason to believe that this new DISD initiative will advance its mission on its Road to Broad.