January 11, 2024 (newsweek.com) – In this article, two varsity high school debaters for the Washington Urban Debate League (WUDL) provide their analysis of the recent Republican Primary Debates in Iowa. Student debaters gave each candidate’s performance a letter grade to show the effectiveness of the candidates’ debate and argumentation skills. The student debaters did not focus on the politics of the candidates’ positions, but rather their persuasion. The grades, modeled after a World Schools debate rubric, are determined by the candidates’ style, content and strategy. The students analyzed the effectiveness of each candidate’s argument by commenting on how well each candidate answered questions, presented their plans, interacted with other candidate and appealed to the audience.
