Why Become a Member?
Resources
Support
Community
As the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school and high school students in the United States, we provide:
- Educators with the resources and support to teach and coach.
- Students with the resources and conditions to build confidence, improve communication, and increase critical thinking skills.
- Infrastructure for speech and debate competitions around the world.
- A Platform for youth voices to be heard and celebrated, which culminates with an annual National Tournament, the pinnacle of Public Speaking.
Your Students
With NSDA membership, your students will:
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Develop the communication skills employers value
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Be eligible to earn a portion of the $150K in college scholarships we give annually
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Learn to analyze problems, discuss and debate them constructively, and work together to create solutions
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Earn local, state, and national recognition for achievement
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Build their skills with access to helpful training tools
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Compete to attend the National Tournament, the pinnacle of public speaking, where 54 national champions are crowned.
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Your School or District
With NSDA membership, Administrators report:
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Improved classroom performance
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Higher student confidence and self esteem
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Increased attendance rates
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Increased school pride
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Increased engagement in the classroom
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Higher test scores
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New recognition opportunities
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How to Start a Team
Contact us to get your program started.
We can help you advocate for a program and find the right coach! With our help, anyone can teach and coach speech and debate. Are you at the district-level and representing more than one school? Inquire about bulk membership options.
There is an existing local and national infrastructure of support.
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- When you join the NSDA, you have access to educational resources, competitive opportunities, and support from experts.
- Coaches have access to online courses to learn the ropes and accreditation and recognition opportunities.
- For high school, a local team of elected district leaders oversees competition, mentors new coaches, and facilitates learning and connection in your area.
- If you have someone offering to be the coach, great! We can train anyone from parents to math teachers. If you’re still searching, we have a free jobs board where you can post the position. There may be someone with interest or speech and debate experience already working at your school! Learn more about finding a coach here.
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HIGH SCHOOL: $149 annual dues |
MIDDLE SCHOOL: $75 annual dues |
ANNUAL |
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HIGH SCHOOL: $20 one-time enrollment for entirety of high school | MIDDLE SCHOOL: $10 one-time enrollment elementary up to high school | ONE-TIME |
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$20 one-time enrollment | ONE-TIME | |
| RESOURCE PACKAGE | $199 optional annual subscription | ANNUAL | |
| Grants are available for new schools and Title I programs | |||
Ready to join?
Welcome! Your new coach can sign up and find all the resources they need to get started, or you can email info@speechanddebate.org for help starting a program.
A Letter from 2022 Administrator of the Year, Leonidas Patterson
It is vitally important for campus administrators across the United States to continue to support speech and debate in our schools. The academic rewards are not just anecdotal but are supported by years of research. Studies have shown that students who participate in competitive speech and debate activities are more likely to have higher academic achievement and an overall better educational experience. Through the process of developing an argument, crafting a speech, or interpreting a piece of literature, students become better thinkers, writers, and communicators. Read more »
It is vitally important for campus administrators across the United States to continue to support speech and debate in our schools. The academic rewards are not just anecdotal but are supported by years of research. Studies have shown that students who participate in competitive speech and debate activities are more likely to have higher academic achievement and an overall better educational experience. Through the process of developing an argument, crafting a speech, or interpreting a piece of literature, students become better thinkers, writers, and communicators. Read more »
Administrator Testimonials
[Speech and debate] helps students come to terms with their identity and teaches empathy. At an age when bullying is so common, speech and debate celebrates kids who often fall through the cracks in more traditional settings. Specifically, girls are encouraged to be smart and argumentative as much as boys, in whom strong emotional awareness and expressiveness are celebrated.
Speech and debate participants do better academically across the board. They become engaged, active participants in their education and in their community. Our school has seen great improvements in student culture and spirit since we started our program, and I would highly recommend joining the NSDA to any administrator looking to make a positive impact on school culture and academic performance.
The Benefits of Speech and Debate
Speech and debate changes lives. From building confidence, improving communication, and increasing critical thinking skills to better preparing students for college, speech and debate activities provide life skills vital to a young person’s success in the future.
A LinkedIn survey of more than 660+ million professionals revealed the most in demand soft skills in 2020. Here’s how speech and debate helps students master them:
Creativity
Students are empowered to make artistic choices about how they bring words to life through performance. Unique arguments are encouraged and thinking outside the box differentiates students from their peers debating the same topics.
Persuasion
Students learn how to best convince an audience in the face of equally well-informed, persuasive competition.
Collaboration
Students work with teammates and coaches to craft stories, create arguments, build upon feedback, and perfect their performances.
Adaptability
Students learn to think on their feet and tailor a performance to a given audience.
Emotional Intelligence
Students learn to see both sides of an issue and to use appropriate strategies for questioning things they do not understand.