Milwaukee’s own “great debaters” from high schools around the metro area meet at Marquette University to compete and develop their skills at the J. William & Mary Diederich College of Communication. The Milwaukee Debate League (MDL) is a program of the College in partnership with the National Debate Project funded through a 3-year seed grant from the Einhorn Family Charitable Trust. The League fosters the use of debate and discussion as powerful educational tools to engage students in learning and critical thinking.

Studies have shown that participation in debate elevates reading levels, improves attendance and raises rates of graduation, putting students on a path to success in college. Debate enables a student to find his or her own voice. Students learn how to discuss differences in an intelligent, respectful way so they can become positive forces for change in their communities.

As part of the national urban debate league movement, the MDL enables urban schools, which often have not had the necessary resources, to start debate teams and compete on a regular basis so that students can continually sharpen their skills. Our partners at the National Debate Project established the first urban debate leagues in the 1980s. Since then more than 20 cities have established leagues and the number is growing. The MDL is a member of the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues.

For more information, please see our Web site.