The BUDL Effect: Examining Academic Achievement and Engagement Outcomes of Preadolescent Baltimore Urban Debate League Participants

This study adds to the limited literature base on extracurricular debate by using doubly robust inverse probability treatment weighting to estimate the average treatment effect for the treated of preadolescent debate participation on a variety of academic and engagement outcomes among a 10-year long...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational researcher 2019-04, Vol.48 (3), p.145-157
Main Author: Shackelford, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Debate
Education policy
Elementary School Students
Extracurricular Activities
High School Students
Learner Engagement
Low income groups
Middle School Students
Preadolescents
Program Effectiveness
Public Schools
Quantitative analysis
Quasi-experimental methods
Secondary school students
Standardized Tests
Student Development
Student participation
Urban areas
Urban Programs
Urban Schools
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Summary:This study adds to the limited literature base on extracurricular debate by using doubly robust inverse probability treatment weighting to estimate the average treatment effect for the treated of preadolescent debate participation on a variety of academic and engagement outcomes among a 10-year longitudinal sample of Baltimore City Public School System students. The effect of préadolescent Baltimore Urban Debate League participation for debaters was associated with increases in standardized test scores, a decreased likelihood of chronic absenteeism, and an increased likelihood of attending a selective entrance criteria high school. Although there is a mounting body of research that suggests participation in debate is associated with increases in positive outcomes for high school students, this research constitutes the first quantitative study to examine these relationships among elementary and middle school students. Policy implications for educational interventions that seek to attract low-income students of color in urban areas and influence their trajectories at earlier stages of student development are discussed.
ISSN:0013-189X
1935-102X
DOI:10.3102/0013189X19830998