Public Debate Program

The Public Debate Program (PDP) is a national and international educational outreach initiative established by the Claremont Colleges Debate Union, centered at Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, California. The PDP is based on age-appropriate, educational and professional communication standards; designed to maximize student public speaking, research, argumentation, critical listening and thinking; and debate skill development. Students may learn and apply PDP skills in across-the-curriculum programming. Teachers use PDP public speaking, argumentation, research, note taking, and refutation educational materials to integrate oral and written communication skills in class and homework exercises. The PDP includes class and contest programming in 38 countries, with new and expanded Summer 2023 initiatives for more than teachers and students in South Africa and Uganda. The PDP also sponsors national and international debate championships, hosting middle school and high school national championships each spring and has also hosted a university championship tournament; and has twice sponsored the Pan American Debating Championship, the premiere international high school debate competition for countries throughout the Americas.