High School Debate Topics

Posted by Susan Hyde Mar 18, 2008

Students love a good argument, but too often teachers assign and re-assign the same argumentative topics so many times that the debates become uninteresting for students and instructors. Update your lackluster persuasive writing list with engaging topics that matter to high school students.

• Do magazines marketed for teenagers send the wrong message? Using at least three specific magazines for support, argue for or against the moral and ethical messages that dominate magazines directed for the teen demographic.
• Is it freedom of the press or harrassment? Argue whether the papparazzi helps or hinders the purpose of the free press.
• Are grades important? Discuss whether grades are necessary in order to keep students on track with learning.
• Is homework necessary? Should teachers lay off, or is homework a necessary element of learning?
• It has been said that America's biggest export is pop culture. Is Hollywood a good ambassador for America?
• Should public schools provide more classes and internship programs for students who choose not to go to college?
• Are college entrance exams like the SAT or ACT good indicators of university success?
• Would a voucher system that allowed for more school choice be a positive change for the American education system?
• Should parents be allowed to sumbit their teens to drug testing?
• Would single-sex public schools be more effective than co-ed?

Student debate topics should, of course, require research, but, just as importantly, they should require students to think and make judgments about topics that are important to them. Be sure to provide students with persuasive writing models and an assessment rubric so that students know what you are looking for!