Campus News
August 22, 2011
Barkley Forum will boost debate charter school
Emory's Barkley Forum is a primary partner this year with newly opened Heritage Preparatory Academy, the first debate charter school in the United States, and is part of the Atlanta Public Schools.
The school will feature speech and debate across the curriculum. The emphasis on argumentation and advocacy instruction will be combined with after-school competitive debate programs and expeditionary learning, an educational curriculum coming out of the Outward Bound Program.
The forum will supervise volunteers and academic interns in education and psychology for curricular and after-school programs for the 114 sixth-graders in the school, which
targets students from socio-economically challenged Atlanta populations.
Barkley Forum staff will provide periodic professional development and teacher training while Emory faculty in educational studies and psychology will conduct baseline assessment protocols.
Two supervised doctoral interns in psychology will evaluate various student outcomes from academic achievement to conflict resolution skill development.
The state charter school was part of a group of 16 schools denied local funding this summer by a 4-3 Georgia Supreme Court decision. In spite of substantial funding cuts, the school has been approved for a special charter from the state, and its commitment to debate remains strong.
Assessment and evaluation will be facilitated by a grant from the Glenn Pelham Foundation for Debate Education, and The National Forensic League is supporting the initiative by providing free memberships and services for local competitions for the school.
