Urban Debate Newsblast Winter 2009

From Scott Deatherage:

Urban Debate Newsblast

Winter 2009 Volume: IV, Number: 4

Season’s greetings! The NAUDL wishes you all the best this holiday season and throughout the coming year.

For urban debaters across the country, December is an important month. Right in the thick of their debating season, many students are hitting their stride after months of research and practice.

With your help, the NAUDL’s efforts to expand access to urban debate are succeeding. The stories of some of these debaters were profiled in the NAUDL’s recent year-end mailing. The package we sent also features a striking visual demonstration of the benefits and cost-effectiveness of Urban Debate Leagues (UDLs). These images demonstrate the dramatic findings of new peer-reviewed research on urban debate, and it is definitely worth a look.

December is also the month that preparation shifts into high gear for this year’s Chase Urban Debate National Championship, April 23-25, 2010. Preceding the National Championship, the April 22 Annual Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York promises to be the best yet. Our Keynote Speaker, Penny Pritzker, and our Urban Debate Champion of the Year, Chase, will help us celebrate another strong year in urban debate.

As we approach the holiday season, we hope you’ll continue your support of urban debate to bring new opportunities to students across the country.

All the best,

Scott Deatherage, PhD

Executive Director

The NAUDL Annual Dinner: April 22, 2010

We hope you’ll join us for the NAUDL Annual Dinner on the evening of Thursday, April 22, 2010, at the world famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. The Annual Dinner precedes the Urban Debate National Championship, to be held April 23-25.

The 2010 Annual Dinner Keynote Speech will be given by renowned business builder and NAUDL Honorary Board member Penny Pritzker. Ms. Pritzker chairs the boards of four major companies. She is a civic and policy leader in many arenas, including serving as a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board. During President Obama's campaign, Ms. Pritzker served as National Finance Chair.

This year's Annual Dinner will honor Chase with the NAUDL's 2010 Urban Debate Champion Award for the company's landmark support and instrumental role in strengthening the Urban Debate Network. This is the third year that Chase has been the title sponsor of the Urban Debate National Championship -the NAUDL's signature event.

To learn more about the Annual Dinner and how to join us, click here.

The Cost Effectiveness of Urban Debate

As we approach the holidays, we hope you will consider supporting urban debate this year. Your investment makes a direct impact by bringing debate to more students and more schools.

Click here to support urban debate today!

Announcing the Urban Debate Evidence Center

Educators and policy makers have a new resource to turn to when evaluating evidence of educational programs. The NAUDL has launched the new Urban Debate Works Evidence Center: The one-stop source for rigorous scientific evidence on the effectiveness of Urban Debate Leagues.

An emerging body of independent rigorous scientific research is demonstrating that UDLs improve educational and social outcomes. Educators, policy makers, and the public can turn to the Urban Debate Works Evidence Center as a central and trustworthy source for evidence about UDLs. The Evidence Center aims to gather in one location and disseminate rigorous, peer-reviewed evidence regarding the UDL approach.

Practitioners and policy makers face a challenge to identify which interventions improve outcomes for students in low performing urban public schools. Focusing on UDLs, this Evidence Center will provide and promote the use of high-quality information in order to improve educational and investor decision-making.

Kicking Off the National Championship

The NAUDL recently held Kickoff receptions in Chicago, New York, and Washington, DC, to launch the 2010 Chase National Urban Debate Championship and Annual Dinner. The Championship weekend brings together top urban debaters, coaches, UDL administrators, and leaders in business and education for the NAUDL’s signature event.

At the reception in Washington, DC, supporters of urban debate were joined by special guests Charles P. Rose, General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Education, and Professor Laurence Tribe of Harvard Law School. Mr. Rose spoke on the Department of Education’s commitment to finding innovative solutions to turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools. He noted that the Department is searching for evidence-based, cost-effective interventions such as urban debate.

Left to right: Charles P. Rose, Laurence Tribe, and UDL alumni Chime Asonye speak at the NAUDL’s Washington, DC, Kickoff Reception

In Chicago, Laura S. Washington, award-winning columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, spoke on the importance of debate in shaping communication and political dialogue in the nation. In addition, guests were joined by Dr. Barbara Eason-Watkins, Chief Education Officer, and Calvin Davis, Director of Sports Administration, of the Chicago Public Schools. Both congratulated the Chicago Debate League and urban debate for improving student achievement.

Left to right: Barbara Eason-Watkins, Calvin Davis, and Laura Washington with urban debate alumnus Bernadette Limos at the NAUDL’s Chicago Kickoff Reception

The New York reception was held at the offices of Chase, the sponsor of the National Championship. The NAUDL’s Chief Program Officer, Diana Dunker, a former debater and attorney with Legal Services of New Jersey, spoke about the impact of debate on her professional life.

The upcoming Chase Urban Debate National Championship provides a unique opportunity for urban youth to compete against their most talented peers from around the country, receive national recognition, learn about college and careers, and meet leaders from across the country who support urban debate. Please consider joining us at the 2010 Annual Dinner to be a part of the Championship weekend.

Denver Board Co-Chair Joins Department of Higher Education

D. Rico Munn has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education by Governor Bill Ritter. Mr. Munn, who is the Co-Chair of the Denver Urban Debate League Advisory Board, has served as Executive Director of the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) since 2007 and assumed his new duties on November 2, 2009. In his new position, Mr. Munn will oversee 27 institutions of higher learning with a total enrollment of 220,000 students. The Colorado Department of Higher Education also oversees a number of student loan programs.

Mr. Munn debated in high school in Colorado Springs as well as in college at Midland Lutheran College. He credits his past debate experience for “teaching him the formal process of how to make a successful argument.” He also champions debate as “great preparation for many professions” due to its ability to “expose students to the important skills of research and argumentation.” His belief in the value of debate makes him a strong champion for Urban Debate Leagues.

The NAUDL congratulates D. Rico Munn, and wishes him well in his new endeavor.

Read more >>

The NAUDL Welcomes 2009-10 Advocacy Fellows

In partnership with leading law firms around the country, the NAUDL has offered a number of deferred associates the opportunity to help advance the urban debate mission. These Urban Debate Advocacy Fellows help the NAUDL build partnerships with key institutions within the legal profession, including firms, in-house legal departments, law schools, and professional organizations. The NAUDL is proud to publicly welcome our 2009-2010 Advocacy Fellows.

Georgia Hamann joins us as a deferred associate from Lewis & Roca in Phoenix. Georgia debated at Liberty University, where she earned a B.S. magna cum laude with concentrations in English, Philosophy, and Government. She also coached debate at Vanderbilt University, where she obtained a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University Law School and was an editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.

Patty Liu joins us as a deferred associate from Latham & Watkins in Chicago. She graduated from the University of Southern California with degrees in Communication and Political Science. She taught as a part of Teach for America in Chicago Public Schools. After receiving a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, she served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Craig Ortner joins us as a deferred associate from Mayer Brown in Chicago. He taught high school math and coached speech and Lincoln Douglas debate in Portland, Oregon. He also taught math and coached debate at Taipei American School in Taipei, Taiwan. He has a B.S. in Math and Computer Science from Macalester College, a master’s degree in Math Teaching from Portland State, and a J.D. from University of Michigan Law School (cum laude).

Contact Eric Tucker at EricTucker@urbandebate.org to learn more about Advocacy Fellowship opportunities for you or your firm.

Two New Scholarships for Urban Debaters

The NAUDL is proud to announce two college scholarship opportunities available to urban debaters this year. These scholarships help provide access to higher education for students who might not otherwise have the resources to attend college.

Trinity University recently launched the Urban Debate Scholars program to provide debate scholarships for graduating seniors. Trinity, located in San Antonio, Texas, is proud to be at the forefront of higher education leadership within the Urban Debate Network. Two scholarships will be awarded to talented debaters from high schools participating in the Urban Debate Network. The scholarship amount will vary but will ensure that 100% of tuition and fees are paid by a combination of government and institutional grants and scholarships. For more information, click here.

Additionally, the Jackie Robinson Foundation has recommended urban debaters for its Scholarship Program. High school graduates who plan to earn a baccalaureate degree from an approved and accredited college or university are invited to apply for a scholarship of $7,500 annually for four years. Every Scholar also benefits from an annual four-day conference in New York City, internship placement, professional and peer mentoring, community service facilitation, and skills development workshops. For more information and to apply, click here.

Urban Debate in the News

Education Week

"Student Debates Linked to Gains in Urban Achievement"

Washingtonian

"'Competitive and Slightly Unhinged': Why College Debaters Dominate Washington's Political Scene"

Denver Post

"Urban Debate Sharpens Learning Skills for College-bound Students"

Memphis Commercial Appeal

"Study: Students on Debate Teams Improve Academically"

Detroit Free Press

"The Great Debaters"

Boston Neighborhood Network News

"Debate Team Makes Gains for Students"

Wicked Local

"Students Who Participate in Debate Do Better in School"

The Grio

"Debate Teams Help Black Students Find Their Voice"

Houston Independent School District

"New Research Finds Debate Programs in Low-Performing Schools Raise Graduation Rates and Improve College Readiness"

Denver Public Schools

"Study: Debate Teams Help Students Achieve Academically"

East Boston Times-Free Press

"Study: There's No Arguing the Benefits of Debate Teams"

The Suffolk Voice

"Debating a Way to a Brighter Future"

Journalist Ashley Williams

"The Los Angeles Urban Debate League"

This message was sent from Scott Deatherage to Alfred.Snider@uvm.edu. It was sent from: The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues, 332 South Michigan Avenue, Suite #500, Chicago, Il 60604. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.