8th Grade Debate Topics

School Rules

Are school rules necessary?

Why are school rules important?

Why is it important to follow school rules?

Should girls have to register for Selective Service?

Norway has compulsory military service for women: should the U.S.?

Should women have to register for the Selective Service?

CNN- Should women have to register for the draft?

Should the US spend billions on a space program?

Space exploration

Should governments prioritize spending on the exploration of space?

Pro and Con: The Funding of NASA

Should the practice of "stop and frisk" be eliminated?

Stop and Frisk should be allowed

Beyond the numbers:A Debate over the effects of NYPD  Stop and Frisk

Here's what you need to know about stop and frisk

Which is better- Apple or Samsung?

Is Apple better than Samsung

10 Reasons Android phone is better than iphone

10 Reasons iphone is better than Android

iphone vs android

Does taxing sugary drinks help prevent obesity?

Will taxes on sugary drinks improve health?

A soda tax: will it change anything?

World Health Organization

Is life today more difficult than your grandparents' generation?

The difference between the past and modern lives

Kids then vs kids now

Can world peace ever be achieved?

Will we ever achieve world peace

Seven reasons why world peace is possible

How world peace is possible

Capital Punishment

Capital Punishment Pros and Cons

Capital punishment -- the death penalty; Basic reasons: pro and anti

Public opinion polls on the death penalty

Death Penalty Information Center

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Abolish the Death Penalty -- Amnesty International

Pro Death Penalty

Are Letter Grades Fair?

Should Letter Grades Be Eliminated?

Do Grades Do Any Good?

Trash Talk in School Sports

New Jersey takes the trash-talking out of high school sports

High school sports trash talk: Officials weigh crackdown to cover social media

Fining parents of bullies

Parents of bullies in Wisconsin town to be fined for their kids' bad behavior 

Should parents of bullies be fined

In this city, parents must now pay up

Single Sex Classrooms

 Do students learn better in single-sex classrooms?

Single-Sex Classroom Debate Continues

Leisure Activities for Prisoners

Do prisoners have too many comforts, such as cable and internet, while incarcerated?

 Hidden cameras in the workplace

Should homework be banned?

Pros and cons of banning homework

The Burden of Homework: Stressed For Success?

Mandatory recycling for households

  face off: should recycling be mandatory?

madatory recycling pros and cons

Are animals better in zoos or in the wild?

  Arguments For and Against Zoos

  Should Animals be Kept in Zoos?

Teenage Curfew

Pros and Cons

 Pro & Cons of a Curfew

Drug Testing Student Athletes

School officials weigh pros, cons of drug-testing student-athletes

 Debate! Should women compete against men in sports? 

Using Animals for Testing

Using Animals for Testing: Pros Versus Cons

School Dress Code

Pros and Cons of School Dress Codes

President's Personal Life

Presidential Scandals

Students able to skip a grade

Should Your Child Skip a Grade?

Should my child skip a grade?

Clones

What are the Pros and Cons of Cloning?

Parents responsible for crimes of children

  Laying Blame: Parental Responsibility for Children's Misdeeds

  Are parents morally responsible for their child's actions?

Cheating in school

Cheating: Why it's wrong

Cheating

Banning books from schools

 Effects of Banning Books

Reality TV

  Pros & Cons of Reality Shows

Pros and Cons: Reality television

Girl bands vs. Boy bands

Year-Round School

  Should American Schools Go Year Round?

The Year-Round School Debate

Mandatory Phys Ed Classes

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mandatory PE in Schools

Driving tests for senior citizens

Older Drivers, Elderly Driving, Seniors at the Wheel

  Should elderly drivers be retested?

Dogs or Cats?

 Cat vs Dog

Ten Interesting Differences Between Cats and Dogs

School Uniforms

 School Uniforms on the Rise: Do You Think They're a Good Idea?

Pros and cons of school uniforms

What are the pros and cons of school uniforms?

School uniforms: pros and cons

Pros and cons of school uniforms No. 2

Teen Driving Age

Driving age state by state

  Teenagers Drive Debate Over New Rules of the Road

Recess

7 Reasons Why Kids Need Recess

  As Schools Cut Recess, Kids' Learning Will Suffer, Experts Say

Daily School Recess Improves Classroom Behavior

Recess makes kids smarter

Gun  Control

Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?

 Should civilian possession of handguns and other non-hunting guns be banned or severely restricted?

Pros vs. Cons: The gun control debate

Field Trips

What are the Benefits of Field Trips?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Field Trips

Advantages of School Field Trips

Later start for school day

Teen sleep zombies: Should high schools have later start times? 

 Do Later School Start Times Really Help High School Students?

Gum chewing in school

 The Pros and Cons of Chewing Gum 

 The Surprising Effects Of Chewing Gum

What Are Some Pros & Cons of Gum Chewing in School? (this site has lots of links to other sites on the topic)

Lowering the working age

Frequently asked questions

Minimum Age to Work in Connecticut

Banning Fast Food Restaurants

Should Fast Food Restaurants Be Banned?

Why you can't just ban fast food

Are fast food restaurants getting healthier?

Is it permissible to torture prisoners?

Should captured terrorists be tortured?

Should high-ranking captured terrorists be tortured or be subject to "enhanced interrogation techniques" to obtain information?

Should schools replace textbooks with iPads?

Many U.S. schools adding iPads, trimming textbooks

Violence in video games

Pros and cons of video games violence (No. 2)

Is Cheerleading a Sport?

Cheer Debate

Federal Court Rules Cheerleading Not a Sport

Is Cheerleading a Sport?

Athletes are Cheerleaders Too

Cigarettes

Should cigarettes be illegal?

Ban Tobacco

Should We Ban Tobacco?

Drinking Age

Pros and cons of changing the drinking age