Sacramento Urban Debate League

SUDL PROVIDES POLICY DEBATE EDUCATION AND COMPETITION FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS AND STUDENTS OF COLOR IN THE SACRAMENTO. CALIFORNIA METROPOLITAN AREA. SUDL DOES SO BY CREATING DEBATE TEAMS AT LOCAL PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS, TRAINING COACHES, COACHING STUDENTS, AND TRAVELING WITH STUDENTS TO COMPETE AT WEEKEND TOURNAMENTS. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF URBAN DEBATE LEAGUES (NAUDL), DEBATE IS AN ACADEMIC SPORT THAT BUILDS READING, RESEARCH, COMMUNICATION, AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. EACH YEAR HIGH SCHOOL POLICY DEBATERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY DEBATE A SINGLE COMPLEX POLICY QUESTION, OR RESOLUTION, FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR.DEBATERS CONDUCT EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON A RESOLUTION ONLINE AND IN LIBRARIES AND THEN DEVELOP ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST THE RESOLUTION WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF SUDL COACHES AND TEACHERS. DEBATERS HONE THEIR ARGUMENTS IN AFTER SCHOOL PRACTICES AND COMPETE AT WEEKEND TOURNAMENTS. TWO-PERSON TEAMS PARTICIPATE IN A SERIES OF 75-MINUTE DEBATES AND EACH TEAM ALTERNATES SIDES, ARGUING FOR A RESOLUTION IN ONE ROUND AND AGAINST IT IN THE NEXT. COMPETITIVE DEBATE HAS GENERALLY NOT BEEN AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS OF URBAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; URBAN DEBATE PROGRAMS SEEK TO REMEDY THIS.SIGNIFICANT RESEARCH STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THE MANY BENEFITS OF POLICY DEBATE AND HOW IT DEVELOPS LITERACY IN ADDITION TO PREPARING STUDENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL DURING AND AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. THESE BENEFITS COME FROM THE READING, WRITING, SPEAKING, RESEARCH, COMMUNICATION, CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, CIVIC AWARENESS, AND CRITICAL THINKING THAT DEBATE DEMANDS FROM ITS PARTICIPANTS. STUDIES DEMONSTRATE A SIGNIFICANT RISE IN GPA AND COLLEGE ENROLLMENT RATES FOR DEBATERS WHEN COMPARED TO THEIR PEERS, A DECREASE OF DROPOUT RATES, AND AN INCREASED READINESS FOR 21ST CENTURY CAREERS. DEBATE ALSO IMPROVES STUDENT LITERACY BY ENCOURAGING LARGE AMOUNTS OF IN-DEPTH RESEARCH, READING, AND THEN WRITING BRIEFS WHICH STUDENTS MUST COMPLETE IN PREPARATION FOR THEIR COMPETITIONS.DURING 2023, SUDL COACHED APPROXIMATELY 75 STUDENTS AT SIX HIGH SCHOOLS. SUDL ALSO CHAPERONED DEBATERS AT 15 WEEKEND DEBATE TOURNAMENTS, TWELVE OF WHICH WERE HELD IN-PERSON AND THE REMAINDER OF WHICH WERE HELD ON-LINE. SENIORS HAD A 100% HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE IN 2023.