Building Performing Arts Program in Elementary, Middle Schools

A quick Google search lists the benefits of participating in speech and debate – everything from confidence, communication skills and strategy, to research, reading and writing. Further, studies like one published in October 2023 by the American Educational Research Association have found a significant positive correlation between participation in debate and more measurable outcomes like test scores.

As a result of participating on high school debate teams, students go from wallflowers to outspoken school leaders in a matter of months. The positive impact of participation in debate is real and that’s not debatable.

But with all of the benefits, one of the key (and complex) issues with competitive forensics is access. Competing in speech and debate can be expensive. At the highest level, students have the opportunity to travel to national competitions for days at a time to compete against the best of the best. But this takes administrative support, coaching infrastructure and, of course, parent/guardian permission—not to mention a level of commitment from the competitors that they will put in work required to make such an investment “worth it.”

In 2012, in Broward County, with an exceptionally dedicated team of coaches and district personnel and with the support of the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), we tried to solve a very important question: How can we ensure access to competitive speech and debate? The word “ensure” was very important. So often in education we talk about providing access, but you can also lead a horse to water…

This is when the After School Tournaments (ASTs) were born. The idea is simple: novice students compete in two rounds once a month after school and are judged predominantly by their more experienced peers. An article in the NSDA’s 2013 Fall Rostrum detailing the impetus for and structure of this model. We provided everything: coach training, substitutes for coaches to leave their schools, transportation and entry fees. The host schools are compensated by the district for opening their doors, and ultimately, it is a win-win for everyone involved. Everyone has access.

Over the last dozen years, the Broward model has naturally ebbed and flowed based on size, needs, and, of course, a global pandemic; however, the best change is that a program that was designed to support high school students in their first year or two of competition now supports students as young as kindergarten in almost all categories of competitive forensics.

In 2024, Broward County proudly hosts five afterschool tournaments a month from September to April (two based on geography for elementary school, two based on geography for middle school, and one for high school). As a result, my elementary school daughter gets to use her voice at an age when many are not given the time or stage to do so.

Middle school competitive forensics has been growing rapidly across the country for the past several years and elementary school forensics is slowly gaining traction as well. The common denominator in most successful elementary and middle school speech and debate programs is a committed high school team to support. In independent/ charter or “self-contained” schools, that can be an easier lift. If you have a successful high school program, it can be easy to walk downstairs or next door to support elementary or middle school orators, performers and debaters. But standalone elementary middle schools in a larger district, for example, may have a more challenging time coordinating schedules and aligning goals.

If you are a high school educator somehow connected to or invested in competitive forensics, support your K-8 community.

Check out the resources provided by the NSDA (pro tip: so many middle school resources can be adapted for elementary school). Explore other organizations like Champion Press that create grade level-specific speech and debate resources. And, don’t be afraid to reach out to your administration – or even your district or state – about possible opportunities for collaborating in this space. You can tell them about the Broward Debate Initiative and emphasize how fostering these relationships will only help strengthen your high school program. But most importantly, building these bridges will provide the aforementioned communication, problem- solving, and literacy skills to students before society is even expecting them to use them. Don’t worry; it’s never too early to use your voice.