Chicago Debates | 970 followers on LinkedIn. Chicago Debates establishes and supports competitive after-school debate programming with Chicago Public Schools. | Founded in 1995, Chicago Debates was created to deliver the uniquely transformational activity of debate to Chicago Public Schools. Since partnering with CPS in 1997 to launch the Chicago Debate League, the organization has grown the League from just five high schools on the south side, to the largest and most competitive urban debate league in the country, serving over 14,000 students since our inception. Supporting over 1600 students in 85 schools this year, including middle and high schools, Chicago Debates has become a national model for other urban debate leagues.