Students of the Newark Debate Academy study and debate complex topics of public policy in a rigorous format that demands reading and synthesis of complex texts, research, critical thinking, use of evidence to support claims, and nimble responses to unexpected arguments. The debaters compete on topics chosen by the National Association for Speech and Debate for their event; recent examples include immigration reform, education reform, reporter’s privilege in court, plea bargaining and compulsory national service. Regardless of the topic, subtopics are rich, so that every year our debaters must explore ideas in economics, critical race theory, domestic and international politics, science and technology, and philosophy.  Debaters attend after-school practices averaging five to ten hours per week plus tournaments. Students participate in up to 5 local tournaments a year (for both the high school and middle school levels) and have the opportunity to debate on the national circuit in their given event. Tournaments feature three to six rounds of debate for all students, resulting in top students moving on to elimination rounds. Each debate round lasts 90 minutes (40 minutes in middle school) and concludes with oral critique from a trained judge. Students apply their learning from previous rounds to the next round just 15 minutes later, making tournaments unusually dynamic places of learning.