Our Mission
“Debate opened up a whole new world for me. It surprises me what I can do with my voice right now. I’m changing the future, I’m changing society, slowly, bit by bit.”
– Maryam, Anne Sullivan Communication Center
The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL) is a program of Augsburg University which provides resources and programming to support competitive academic debate in Twin Cities high schools and middle schools.
The mission of MNUDL is to empower students through competitive academic debate to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active global citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities. Currently, MNUDL serves more than 1,400 students at 40+ partner schools across multiple districts and has seen sustained growth in student participation since its inception in 2004.
In 2024, we’re celebrating 20 years of Minnesota Urban Debate League! Make a gift to help us serve even more Minnesota students.
Our Mission
Proven Academic Results
Debate is one of the few activities proven to help students accomplish significant academic gains during out-of-school time, including increased literacy, GPA, ACT Scores, graduation and college acceptance rates, and more.
The most recent MPS report (2022-23) is striking: 96% of debaters meet attendance benchmarks (attending school 95% of the time or more), while 30% of their peers do.
Improved Reading Comprehension
According to the MPS Office of Research, Evaluation, & Assessment, after just one year of debate, participants increased their standardized reading scores by 12-14% (even after controlling for race, income, and previous academic performance). Our program was the first out-of-school-time program researchers had found that could document an increase in these scores.
Encouraging Advanced Learning
The most recent study shows that debaters are much more likely to enroll in advanced classes (a predictor of high school graduation and preparation for college). 67% of MPS debaters had enrolled in at least one advanced class, compared to 48% of their peers. For students of color, 57% of debaters had enrolled in at least one advanced class last year, compared to 39% of peers.
“I’ve gained the confidence
in myself to know I can do it.
Thats what debating does for me.”
