October 27th, 2007
There’s a sad reality about the efforts to improve struggling school systems like Birmingham’s. Most of the attention is focused on improving third-grade reading skills or bringing up eighth-grade math scores or trying to help students pass the high school exit exam.
Yet, just as in wealthier, high-performing suburban school systems, there also are strong, hardworking, goals-oriented students in even the most stressed schools. These are students who make A’s in challenging courses, but who may never have the same opportunities as their peers in other school systems.
That’s why programs like the SpeakFirst debate team in Birmingham city schools are so important.
The 20 students involved in SpeakFirst are as dedicated as students anywhere. They have to be to succeed in the demanding debate program founded four years ago by Birmingham lawyer Stephen Foster Black.
These students also learn there are rewards for that dedication. This week, the University of Alabama and UAB announced they would provide full tuition and fees scholarships to every student who completes three years with SpeakFirst. The universities are to be commended, but they know the scholarships they’re promising will also help them get the students they are trying so hard to recruit.
A quality debate team is a good ticket to college. Research shows that a high-quality debate program is one of the most significant contributors to student achievement, and that’s particularly true for disadvantaged children. Participants must commit to three hours of practice, three days a week, along with extra debate research and weekend trips to debate tournaments.
But SpeakFirst isn’t just about arguing for points in public. The program also offers students standardized test preparation help, personalized study plans, college planning, academic development to keep them focused on their college goals, visits to college campuses across the Southeast, summer internships, cultural experiences and more.
For now, however, all need not apply. Only four freshmen are accepted into the program each year. This school year – and this was before the scholarships were announced – about 60 students tried for those four slots. With guaranteed college scholarships on the line, SpeakFirst is sure to become even more competitive.
Let’s hope it’s so competitive the program expands across the area or even throughout the state, to help more high-achieving students, or that others with a public service spirit like Black see the potential of these determined teens and work to create other opportunities.
