The following is a list of parents' most frequently asked questions about the Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP). If you wish answers to questions not on this page or on this web site, please feel free to call Program Director Kate Shuster at 909-607-9383 or email her at kate.shuster@claremontmckenna.edu.

Q: Why should my child debate?

Q: What if there's no debate team at my child's school?

Q: How can I learn the rules for debate?

Q: When will tournaments be held?

Q: Where will tournaments be?

Q: How long will tournaments last?

Q: Will there be lunch at the tournament?

Q: How much will this cost?

Q: How can I help my child succeed in debate?

Q: What should my child wear to tournaments?

Q: What will the students debate about?

Q: Can I watch my child debate?

Q: Can I help my child at the tournament?

Q: Can I bring other members of the family to tournaments?

Q: Can I help at tournaments?

Q: What should I do if I disagree with the result of a debate?

Q: Will my child win an award?

Q: What if my child isn't successful?

Q: Can my child debate in high school?

Q: Will this help my child get into college?

Q: Who should my child debate with?

Q: How can I play a positive role on my child's team?

Q: Why should my child debate?

A: Debate helps students develop speaking, thinking, and listening skills. Students who debate become more engaged in the world around them and develop sophisticated knowledge about a wide range of current events and complex ideas. Debate in the middle grades prepares students for success in high school, college, and beyond, while providing immediate benefits for academic success. Debate is valuable for gifted students and so-called "at-risk" students alike, helping students of all ages take active responsibility for their own learning in a challenging and dynamic atmosphere.

Q: What if there's no debate team at my child's school?

A: It is easy to start a debate team at your child's school. All that is needed is an interested teacher, a supportive principal, and materials available for free form the
Middle School Public Debate Program. For assistance in starting a new program at your child's school, please contact MSPDP Program Director Kate Shuster at 909-607-9383, or by e-mail at kate.shuster@claremontmckenna.edu.

Q: How can I learn the rules for debate?

A: The complete, official MSPDP rules can be found here . Other information about preparing for debate and practicing debate can be found in the "Teachers" section of this site.

Q: When will tournaments be held?

A: Different leagues have different tournament schedules. Most leagues have monthly tournaments from November until May. Tournaments are usually held on a Saturday, and last from 9 AM until 4 or 5 PM. Some leagues have tournaments on other days to accommodate religious conflicts. Ask your child's coach or a league administrator for a copy of the year's schedule.

Q: Where will tournaments be?

A: Tournaments are generally held at league middle schools, although they may also be held at high schools, colleges, or universities. A league schedules its tournaments up to a year in advance. Every league has a different schedule, so it is best to ask child's coach or a league administrator for a copy of the year's schedule.

Q: How long will tournaments last?

A: Tournaments are generally all-day affairs, although some events might be after-school competitions. A typical Saturday competition will usually run from 9 until 4:30 in the afternoon, and feature 5 debates, lunch, and an awards ceremony. If students sign up for a competition, they should stay for the entire competition. They should not leave half-way through.

Q: Will there be lunch at the tournament?

A: Most tournaments sell inexpensive lunch items (and sometimes breakfast items). The proceeds from these sales usually benefit that school's debate team, allowing their students to travel to tournaments. Debaters attending the tournament may buy their lunch (always less than $5.00) or bring lunch, if they wish. Students may also buy snack food during the day, or bring their own snacks.

Q: How much will this cost?

A: Not very much. That said, every school has a different fee structure. The Middle School Public Debate Program itself is designed to be quite inexpensive. Generally, schools pay dues to their league of only $75 for new schools and $200 for returning schools. These dues cover trophy costs for tournaments. Every school that pays dues is eligible to attend every league tournament with as many as 30 students per tournament, space permitting. Schools must also find ways to finance transportation to tournaments and pay for other club expenses, such as team shirts. Every school has a different way of paying for these participation expenses. You should ask your child's coach if there will be any costs associated with participation.

Q: How can I help my child succeed in debate?

A: Many suggestions for helping your child succeed in debate can be found here . For specific suggestions related to your school's practices and events, consult your child's coach.

Q: What should my child wear to tournaments?

A: Students should wear whatever they are most comfortable in. Most students wear a club uniform (polo shirt or T-shirt) or wear "dressy casual" clothes. For most students, tournaments are authorized field trips. This means that students need to follow the dress codes of your school district. Students should be neat, but are not required to wear suits or other dress clothes.

Q: What will the students debate about?

A: Topics for competitions are chosen by teachers and students. Teachers and students submit topic suggestions to the league president(s) a month before a competition is to be held. The league president(s) then select a group of diverse topics and release topics to the league's teachers. Topics range from easy to difficult, and all require research and preparation. To see a list of recent topics, click here .

Q: Can I watch my child debate?

A: Yes! Many dozens of parents regularly attend middle school debate tournaments, and enjoy watching their children deliver brilliant performances in challenging debates. You are welcome to attend tournaments and watch debates. Be sure to ask your child whether it is okay to watch them - some children are made very nervous by having parents watch, while others say they perform better when their parents watch!

Q: Can I help my child at the tournament?

A: Almost certainly. Check with your child's coach to see how you can help, if at all, at the tournament. Make sure you work with the coach to make the tournament a big success.

Q: Can I bring other members of the family to tournaments?

A: Yes, you may bring other members of the family to tournaments. Many students invite grandparents and even friends to tournaments to watch debates and participate as audience members. The competition is a fun event, and relatives are often very impressed by the cleverness and talent exhibited by student debaters. As a caution, young children should be old enough to listen quietly to debates, or should not be taken into the rooms where debates will happen.

Q: Can I help at tournaments?

A: There are many ways that parents can help at tournaments. One big way you can help is by learning to judge debates. Even if you never serve as a judge at a tournament, you should consider learning to judge or going through your league's judge certification training program. If you learn the skills associated with judging debates, you can help your student debater better understand the kinds of decisions judges make and how to better communicate with judges. To learn more about judging and judge training, visit the "Judges" section of this site, or click here .

Q: What should I do if I disagree with the result of a debate?

A: Occasionally, parents can be frustrated with judges' decisions in debates they observe, until they learn to judge and find out that the process is quite difficult. Judging is more of an art than a science. Whatever you do, do not argue with judges at tournaments. As an audience member, your role is to listen quietly. It is normal to disagree with a judge's decision, particularly in a debate that your child loses! However, arguing with the judge will not make things better and will not help your child learn how to communicate with others. One challenge of debating is learning to communicate with different kinds of people in different situations. Not all judges see things the same way. In fact, two judges can watch the same debate and make entirely different decision. If you feel that you need to talk to someone to learn more about a judge's decision or to voice a concern, talk to your child's coach.

Q: Will my child win an award?

A: Yes. All participants receive certificates from Claremont McKenna College commending them for their participation at the event. Public speaking and debating requires extraordinary courage, and the MSPDP program recognizes all students for participating in a competition. Beyond the participation awards, it is not certain if your child will receive additional awards. At tournaments, three kinds of awards are given out: awards for individual excellence, called "speaker awards," awards for performance as a team, and awards for performance as a school. Speaker awards are given based on total speaker points given to students during the tournament (For more on speaker points, please see the "Judges" page). Team awards are given based on total wins as a team. Ties are broken based on cumulative team speaker points. School awards are given for overall performance as a school and average performance as a school.

Q: What if my child isn't successful?

A: All children are successful. The program is designed to teach public speaking and argumentation skills. Public speaking itself is an act of courage, and students are successful if they acquire skills, not if they get awards. Even the most brilliant children have off weekends. Your child may come home from a tournament and be sad because she did not do as well as she had hoped, or because she did not win a trophy. It is normal for your child to be sad when this happens. A tournament is an exhausting, intense, and demanding event. Students have a lot of fun at a tournament, but also put a lot of work into preparation and practice. If students are unhappy at the results of a tournament, this sadness is no different than what they might experience as a result of not winning other competitions in school or athletics.

Q: Can my child debate in high school?

A: Yes. If your child's high school already has a speech and debate program, this will be as simple as signing up for that club. If your child's high school does not yet have a speech and debate program, Claremont Colleges Debate Outreach staff will be happy to help you start a new program. If there is not a program at your high school, there are some things your team can do to help this process along.

• Parent involvement. Never underestimate the power of parents. Parents who wish to see a debate team at your high school can contact Kate Shuster at the CCDO office (909-607-9383) for information about how to lobby the school. They can also contact the principal directly to express their concerns, organize letter-writing campaigns with other parents, and otherwise work to build a constituency for debate at the high school.
• Identify a teacher. If you or someone you know knows a teacher at the high school who might be interested in teaching debate, you may refer that person to Kate (or vice-versa), so that she or he can get more information about coaching debate at the high school level. There is often an existing high school league that schools can easily join at a relatively low cost. The CCDO will help interested schools and teachers build high school programs to meet their school's needs.
• Organize 8th graders who wish to continue debating. Help students stay in touch with each other once they get to the high school. This will allow them to argue for a debate team once they get to the high school.

Q: Will this help my child get into college?

A: Maybe. The best thing your child can do to get into a good school is to take challenging classes and get good grades in them. Extracurricular activities matter. Participation in debate shows admissions officers that you are serious about developing the kinds of research, communication, and motivation skills you will need to succeed in college.

Q: Who should my child debate with?

A: It's best to leave that decision up to your child and your child's coach (or coaches). Parents are not authorized to create teams for tournament registration. The fiinal authority on that rests with the coach, as the coach is the official representative of the team.

Students debate better and learn more when debating is fun. Usually, this means that students work with coaches to assemble teams that will help everyone on the team learn together. Some students will form a team and stay together for several years. Other students will "mix and match" teams so they can have the chance to debate with different kinds of people. Sometimes, it's good for students to debate with less experienced or more experienced members of their team to facilitate peer learning and peer leadership. These are important skills and important parts of what students can learn from the MSPDP. Above all, parents should resist the temptation to micro-manage their child's experience in debate. Remember that the purpose of debate is not winning. The purpose of debate is learning. Focusing too much on winning debates will distract students from the fun parts of debate and the learning experience involved in the MSPDP.

Q: How can I play a positive role on my child's team?

A: By being relaxed and willing to let your child learn how to win and lose on their own. Parents play a very positive role in tthe MSPDP, as with any other extra-curricular program. However, parents always need to remember that there are things that are beyond their scope. Teachers and coaches at your child's school have the ultimate responsibility for student conduct and participation. You may coach your child, but only with the permission of your child's teacher. Imagine being at a youth soccer game where all the parents came out of the stands to coach their child! It would be a madhouse, and extremely counterproductive! Helping your child before the tournament is essential, but once you're at the tournament, you should follow your child's teacher's lead on how to behave appropriately. Set a good example for your child and your child's friends by helping them, but letting them have responsibility and ownership of their own success and failure.