Flexible & customizable opportunities for primary and secondary schools to support a debate program
Build a classroom that disagrees better.
Overview
Eloquence Academy makes starting and maintaining a debate program easier.
Debate equips students with critical thinking and public speaking skills for life, yet 85% of public schools are without a team. From hiring a coach to maintaining student interest to traveling to tournaments, debate is an exceptionally costly and complex activity. Sustaining a program long-term requires a thoughtful strategy—one focused on strategic resource management, student investment, and strong teacher support.
Debate-Inspired Classrooms partners with public, independent, magnet, and homeschools at both the primary and secondary levels. We offer a combination of curriculum to be integrated into the classroom or afterschool program, assistance with debate tournament registration, financial support for established teams through microgrants, and afterschool coaching (on-site or online). We strive to meet schools where they are at, considering factors like their budget, if the team has an advisor, and the level of student interest. Each school will participate in a different number of programs and will have a different timeline of partnership—based upon their size, resources, and needs.
Program Eligibility
✔️ Your school serves students in grades 4th through 12th
✔️ Any part of the world
✔️ No fees or tuition for any school-based programs
School programs serve educators who are excited about debate as an educational tool that sparks curiosity and creativity, promotes cultural understanding, and fosters an empowered, civic-minded citizenry.
A Lively CommunityOur Schools Network
We are proud to support the development of debate programs at over 73 primary and secondary schools across the globe. Representing a range of student bodies and academic settings, we strive to meet schools where they are at, building personalized, effective partnerships.
1. Alden High School
2. Amador Valley High School
3. American Heritage Broward School
4. Arcata High School
5. Avenues: The World School
6. BASIS Scottsdale
7. Beaver Country Day School
8. Carrollton High School
9. Centennial Middle School
10. Centennial High School
11. Chilliwack Secondary School
12. CMS Southlake Junior
13. Colonial Academy
14. Columbus High School
15. Corona Fundamental Intermediate School
16. Covington High School
17. Cristo Ray De La Selle High School
18. Dilley High School
19. Dwight D. Eisenhower High School
20. Empire High School
21. Fairview High School
22. Fieldstone Middle School
23. George Washington Carver High School
24. Germantown Friends School
25. Happy Valley High School
26. IN-Tech Academy
27. Jackson High School
28. Jay Pritzker Academy
29. Joaquin Miller Middle School
30. Joseph Martin Middle School
31. Kaabe Schools - Berbera
32. Kaabe Schools - Jigjiga Yar
33. Kaabe Schools - Masalaha
34. Kaabe Schools - New Hargeisa
35. Kent School
36. King’s Academy Middle School
37. Knox Junior High School
38. LaPorte High School
39. Livingston High School
40. Mattole Unified School
41. Middlebury Union Middle School
42. Montclair Kimberly Academy
43. Morris Hills School
44. Neenah Nigh School
45. Newton North High School
46. North Allegheny High School
47. North East Middle School
48. North Surrey Secondary School
49. Owyhee High School
50. Papaya Valley High School
51. Peak to Peak Charter School
52. Pembroke Pines Charter Middle School
53. Skyline High School
54. Sonora Elementary School
55. Stratford Milpitas School
56. Stratford Osgood School
57. Success Academy - Bronx
58. Success Academy - Harlem East
59. Success Academy - Ozone Park
60. Sylvan Hills High School
61. Telra Institute
62. Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter
63. Tomales High School
64. Trinidad Union School
65. University Academy MS/HS
66. Upper St. Claire High School
67. Valdosta High School
68. Valley Christian High School
69. Vergennes Middle School
70. West Lincoln Middle School
71. West Windsor Plainsboro South
72. Weston High School
73. Widefield High School
74. Winston Churchill Middle School
These schools share resources and knowledge, developing a support system that extends beyond any debate round.
Learn More
Build A Flourishing Debate Team
Our network of schools is lively, diverse, and passionate about debate. We support each school through flexible partnerships and personalized instructional opportunities.
Partnership Options
Coaching
Eloquence Academy faculty members deliver synchronous instruction either as a daytime elective or through an afterschool club. Coaching is offered in a virtual or in-person format, and at any frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.). Schools are generally expected to coordinate the time at which their students will receive the coaching, and ensure that all students can join on a personal device or shared camera at the front of the classroom. If coaching is conducted virtually, a videoconferencing link will be provided by Eloquence Academy.
Curriculum
At 8:00 AM on each Monday of the school year, a debate curriculum package will be emailed to school administrator(s) and teacher(s). It will include powerpoint slides, accompanying lesson materials (worksheets, videos, graphic organizers, etc.), suggested models for integration, and instructional advice. We will also include school administrator(s) and teacher(s) on our exclusive weekly newsletter curated with the most relevant current events and academic research on a given debate topic. Teachers are welcomed to reach out and meet with Eloquence Academy ambassadors if they have any questions.
Microgrants
Annual microgrants from $100 to $1,000 are awarded to schools that demonstrate need and will use the financial support to take their burgeoning debate programs to the next, increasingly impactful level. Funding can be used for a variety of purposes, including tournament fees, materials, supplies, clothing, or anything else that is debate-related. We typically prefer schools that fund tangible objects or items (clothing, supplies, etc.) which extend beyond one-time use, as opposed to an online resource about a specific debate topic that is only relevant for a month. Applicants are asked to provide background information about their school and a compelling reason as to why funding is necessary.
Core Values
Assistance — Charters — Network
Charters
A delineated path to success, crafted with clarity and compassion
All schools craft a charter that guides their partnership. It will consist of a shared Google Document between Eloquence Academy and the school. The charter will include a stated purpose of the partnership, the preliminary timeframe of partnership, an agreed schedule for coachings (if necessary), and the match between our coach to school. Schools are encouraged to bring specific questions or considerations as we construct the charter, as charters are inherently collaborative. While charters can be edited, it is ideal to create as strong and detailed a charter as possible to begin with.
Assistance
A delineated path towards success
Eloquence Academy recognizes that registering for debate tournaments can be a confusing and tiresome process, whether it be coordinating judges, paying entry fees, or entering student information. At any point in their partnership, schools may ask to register their students under the ''Eloquence Academy'' name for an online debate tournament. While we pass on the fees and judging obligations, we will manage all other registration processes and not surcharge or profit off students’ attendance.
Network
A community of integrity and compassion
Throughout the year, we plan intermittent debate-inspired professional development workshops for teachers. We also host monthly interschool events for students, including virtual game nights, scrimmage-style tournaments, “minute-to-win-it” challenges, and college admissions webinars. These complimentary programs unite our international community and connect our rural schools to urban ones. All partner schools receive a calendar invite and communication for these opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What constitutes a school year?
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Eloquence Academy defines a school year as beginning as early as September 1 and ending as late as June 30. Eloquence Academy will abide by that standard calendar with no sessions during federal holidays, Election Day, and a week-long break over Thanksgiving and Christmas. Additionally, due to the number of school partners, there are no “make-up” lessons offered on a week in which a holiday created a cancelled class. Over the course of the year, the number of holidays usually balances such that the class sections meeting on each weekday will have met the same number of times total.
The aforementioned is meant to serve as a guideline, but we recognize that there are variations to the school calendar based on district. We are flexible in accommodating those dates. We will work with schools to determine the timeframe while crafting the charter. A partnership can start and end at any point based on the school’s needs and interests. For example, with some schools, we have pioneered a one-week, condensed elective program for students. With other schools, we extend our partnership beyond one year. Schools may also choose to end a partnership earlier than the scheduled end date, or determine an end date based on the first several coachings. We encourage schools to be as communicative as possible as we craft the timeframe.
When are partnerships available?
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Absent a written agreement to the contrary, all partnerships are scheduled to conclude by June 30. Schools may begin partnerships during the middle of the year. However, even if a school starts later than September 1, the partnership will still end by June 30.
If a school wishes to renew and create a multi-year partnership, they will be asked to confirm in writing by June 15. If they do not reach out by that point, they will automatically be offboarded from the internal system and have to externally relaunch a partnership during the following year.
Even if you are not sure that working with Eloquence Academy will be entirely feasible, we encourage you to reach out. We are always happy to answer questions and/or explore the options with you. Should our program not be a good fit, we are happy to provide recommendations to external organizations and debate leagues with similar opportunities. Historically, we have had school administrators reach out, unknowing if their students would participate in public speaking, and evolve into multi-year debate programs with hundreds of participants.
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How do I register?
