Premier public speaking, debate, & critical thinking classes for 5th to 12th grade students nationwide

Invest in the lifelong gift of public speaking for your child.

The Academy offers engaging public speaking and debate classes for students at all experience levels, from novice to advanced.

A diverse selection of over 30+ courses are taught by experienced faculty year-round via Zoom and at select community centers across the United States and Canada.

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Course Catalog

  • A suitable introduction to public speaking & debate for students at all levels.

  • Training in Public Forum Debate (PFD), the most popular high school debate format in the United States. Two-vs-two debates on topics of national and global importance.

  • Intensive study of competitive debate norms in preparation for attendance at competitions.

  • Master interviews for schools, selective programs, and internships. Includes assistance with the high school and college admissions processes.

  • A study of storytelling and persuasion techniques in oratory and essay writing. Includes electives on foreign relations, public policy, and financial literacy.

Additional programs

  • The ESL Debate Program was pioneered in 2024 in collaboration with the Community of Volunteer Educators, Comprendi, and the Latino Education Advancement Fund (LEAF). The program now runs year-round, including through the summer. Our goal is to build a debate community that celebrates Spanish and Spanish-speaking cultures at its forefront.

    The program provides native Spanish speakers with an equitable introduction to debate and helps them become more comfortable with communicating their ideas in English. The theme that ties the course together is “el debate y la discusión: encontrar razones y evidencia.” We suggest that registrants have an intermediate understanding of English, including strong listening skills and understanding of most academic vocabulary. Fluency is not required.

    All classes center around Comprendi, which focuses on English spelling, reading comprehension, and sentence structure concepts. Instructors use a modified Eloquence curriculum to help students apply their Comprendi learnings. Each lab involves simple English speaking, debate, and conversational activities.

  • The Eloquence mentorship program provides high value education. Students may apply individually or with a partner. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Once you are accepted and complete a few orientation steps, we will assign you/your group to an Eloquence faculty member. The coach will reach out to schedule an introductory video call. From there, you will be responsible for meeting consistently over at least three months. The exact meeting schedule is dependent on the availability of the coaches and students, but it is highly recommended to connect every week or two.

    During each session, students are encouraged to bring specific questions that they would like addressed. Sessions often cover topics such as:

    • applications of key debate concepts

    • case reviews

    • drills and tournament prep

    • building a tournament schedule

    • growing your school's debate team

10

Maximum Class Size

60

Minutes Class Length

10

Classes per Term

A full class semester includes:

  • 10 hours of live classroom instruction

  • 2 personal makeup sessions

  • complementary guest lectures and workshops

  • written progress report at end of semester