A new study suggests that African-American students who participate in debate leagues earn better grades, are more likely to graduate from high school, and are better prepared for college success.

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The new study www.urbandebate.org/emergingresearch.shtml conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, examined 2,500 Chicago Public Schools students who participated in at least one debate tournament over a 10-year period, comparing their performance to about 10,000 other African-American students. The researchers found a direct correlation between a student’s level of involvement in debate and academic gains across several measures — including increased college readiness in English and reading. The study is published this month in Howard University’s Journal of Negro Education.