Summary of Incentives Offered to Coaches in the Second Half of the CDL Season

As we begin the second half of the 2010/11 Chicago Debate League season we want to make sure everyone fully understands the performance incentives that the CDL is offering coaches and (if they choose) the debate teams they coach.

Allstate Professional Development Incentives

Coaches who undertake 20 hours – 10 hours for external coaches – of professional development for the full season receive a $100 incentive. This is in addition to the $100 Allstate Professional Development Incentives provided to some 17 coaches for undertaking 10 hours – 5 hours for external coaches – of professional development during the first half of the season (which we are defining in this context as ending on January 14th, so there is still time to earn an incentive for the first half).

You can check to see how many hours away you are from obtaining the Allstate Professional Development Incentive for the season’s second half (or first half) on the Professional Development Reporting Notebook. You can take a look at the various ways there are of undertaking professional development in the Chicago Debate League on the Professional Development homepage.

Allstate Coaching Incentives

The Chicago Debate League will be providing $100 for every 12 debaters more schools have at tournaments in 2010/11 over 2009/10. This in addition to the $100 Allstate Coaching Incentives that were provided through T3 for every 6 more debaters schools had at T1-T3 this year over last year.

You can check to see how many total tournament debaters your school has this year so far (through T3) relative to how many total tournament debaters your school had last year (through T6) on the recent CDL Blog post on Allstate Coaching Incentives. So far, Phillips Academy H.S. actually has 18 more tournament debaters through T3 this year than it did through the entire season last year, so Head Coach Ebony Rose has earned the first second-half Allstate Coaching Incentive of $100 (and will be sent another $100 as soon as Phillips sends 6 more debaters to a tournament, presumably T4).

Note that all CDL events and NC Program tournaments count toward a school’s tournament participation numbers.

Allstate Coaching Incentives will also be given to the top 20 schools in total tournament participation for the 2010/11 season, at the Chicago Debate Championship, Tournament Six – $350 to the top 10 highest participating schools and $150 to the 11 – 20 highest participating schools. Based on the data from the Tournament Reporting Notebook, here’s where we stand today on those incentives.

1st – 10th ($350)
1. Whitney Young
2. Lane Tech
3. Northside
4. Payton
5. Urban Prep
6. Phoenix
7. Chicago Ag.
8. Phillips
8. Taft
10. Alcott
10. Morgan Park
10. Thomas Kelly

11th – 20th ($150)
13. Brooks
13. Lincoln Park
15. Jones
16. Hope
17. Schurz
18. Hyde Park
19. Mather
20. King

CPS Improved Performance Incentives

We are currently on path to end the season under-budget in the allocation of coach stipends under the new Coach Stipend Allocation System by about $10,000 total. CPS has agreed to award incentives with these unallocated funds to schools in the top 20 increased participation performance at the end of this season, comparing T4-T6 tournament participants to T1-T3 tournament participants.

So, for example, Daniel Hale Williams H.S. had 12 tournament participants at T1-T3, according to the Tournament Reporting Notebook — if Williams has 18 tournament participants at T4-T6, that will be an increase of 50%, likely to rank in the top 20 at the end of the year in increased participation performance (unless there are 20 schools that have more than a 50% increase in their tournament participation the second half of the season).

The top 10 schools in improved performance (by percentage – T4-T6 over T1-T3) will receive $750, schools 11 – 20 will receive $250. Note, however, that these numbers assume that we end the season with $10,000 of unallocated coach stipend funding — we will adjust this incentive structure (up or down) depending on how much unallocated coach stipend funding we actually end the year with.

Allstate “Expanding Opportunities” Incentives

At the 2011 Chicago Debate Championship, the Chicago Debate League will be offering $500 Allstate “Expanding Opportunities” Incentives to the top five “Expanding Opportunities” schools – schools with 85% or higher percentages of Title I students – in overall tournament participation and the top five schools in increased participation (by percentage – T4-T6 over T1-T3). This is in addition to the $500 incentives that the CDL provided to the top 10 “Expanding Opportunities” schools in tournament participation after T3.

You can check to see the ranking of “Expanding Opportunities” schools going into T4 on the fifth sheet of the Tournament Reporting Notebook.

A lot of incentive offerings to coaches – for themselves or if they prefer for funding anything debate-related (e.g., debate polo shirts, transportation, university debate institute scholarship). These incentives are designed to encourage and reward coaches’ efforts in getting more and more students at your school involved in competitive academic debate – not for the sake of “higher numbers,” but rather for the sake of your students’ educational futures, since research shows quite clearly that for urban high school students participating in competitive academic debate is one of the very best ways available to prepare for graduation and for access to and success in college.

Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about any of these incentive offerings, and we will of course keep you closely updated – through the use of our tracking forms and this blog.