How can students thrive in an AI world? Start with debate

Published in The Dallas Morning News.

How can students thrive in an AI world? Start with debate! NSDA Executive Director J. Scott Wunn and Stefan Bauschard explain in this Op-Ed published in The Dallas Morning News.

They argue that K-12 education must prioritize developing essential human skills AI can’t automate, such as critical thinking, persuasion, and real-time problem-solving, through debate-driven instruction.

Young learners need structured environments that push them to think, question and argue, not just produce.

Artificial intelligence is radically transforming the world of work. AI can now write a college essay, draft a cover letter, or even compose poetry in your voice. But there are things it cannot do: defend what you believe under pressure, reveal conviction, demonstrate courage, exercise judgment in real time, and develop critical thinking.

These are the very skills that will set tomorrow’s workers apart — and our education system is not adapting fast enough to teach them.