Executive Summary: College and Career Readiness

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.
Urban debaters were comparatively better prepared in college- and career-ready skills than non-debater peers, as measured by GPA increases, cumulative ACT score, and higher scores on the language arts sections of the ACT, after controlling for previous academic achievement and socio-economic status.

Urban debaters who participated intensely (25 rounds or more, equivalent to five tournaments or a full year of participation) in urban debate increased their GPA by 0.20 (20 percent of a letter grade), compared to students who participated minimally or not at all in urban debate.
African American male urban debaters who participated intensely in urban debate increased their GPA by 0.5 (50 percent of a letter grade) above the GPA of students who participated minimally or not at all in debate.
The cumulative ACT score for urban debaters was 20.3, compared to 18.5 for nondebaters. African American males who participated in urban debate were 70 percent more likely to reach the ACT college readiness benchmark in Reading than similar nondebaters
African American males who participated in urban debate were twice as likely to reach the ACT college readiness benchmark in English than similar nondebaters.
Compared to non-debaters with similar academic and demographic backgrounds, Chicago high school students who participated in urban debate were 50 percent more likely to reach the ACT college readiness benchmark in English.