Civil, informed debate is essential for any healthy democracy. This is truer than ever judging from the often uncivil, fact-free public discourse one sees too often on television and social media. But does participation in formal debate training improve educational outcomes? While policy debaters historically have come from high-income public schools, Boston Debate League (BDL) debaters are more likely to be students of color and/or growing up in economically disadvantaged homes. In addition to its competitive debate activities, including the hosting of debate tournaments and operation of a summer debate camp, the BDL also facilitates the use of debate techniques in classroom teaching in middle and high schools in the Boston area. Results from a new study on the impact of participating in competitive policy debate on educational achievement show that debate makes a real, positive difference, as measured by multiple outcomes (ELA test scores, graduation rates, and college enrollment).