This summer, the School of Communication swarmed with teenage boys who have a history of getting into trouble. But they weren’t making mischief; they were members of the Miami-Dade Urban Debate League, there to debate public policy at the Bay Point Debate Institute.

With its rapid-fire presentation and precise rituals, the power of debate to help students develop such skills as critical thinking, research proficiency, and conflict resolution is well established. Founded in 1985 to bring the benefits of debate to disadvantaged kids, the Urban Debate League is now a national education reform movement with leagues in 17 U.S. cities. The Miami-Dade Urban Debate League, founded in 2005 and hosted by the University of Miami, is the first in Florida.

“At-risk kids who debate do better on standardized tests and improve their reading scores and graduation rates,” says David Steinberg, director of debate at UM, which is based in the School of Communication.

Steinberg and his students serve as liaisons between the league and the University and help mentor local school-teachers and students in the art of debate. Former UM collegiate debaters David Coulson, A.B. ’85, Elliot Scherker A.B. ’72, J.D. ’75, and Ed Shohat A.B. ’69, J.D. ’72, help guide the Miami-Dade league as members of its board.

“Debate is the most powerful tool I’ve ever seen,” says Miami-Dade Urban Debate League founder Barbara Garrett. “When our debaters come to campus and see college kids, they think, ‘Hey, if they can do it, so can I.’”