The Citizen Stewart Show

Ravi sits down with Matt Barnum, interim national editor at Chalkbeat. Matt’s excellent education writing is a frequent topic of discussion on the show, so we were excited to finally have him to discuss class sizes, teacher shortages, COVID learning loss, and more. NYC Must Slash Class Sizes Under A New Law. The Neediest Schools Stand To Benefit Least. (Chalkbeat, 8/17/23)

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi welcome former opponent from the ed wars, Gary Rubinstein. Gary recently published a piece in which he surprisingly revealed that he’s a fan of the Citizen Stewart Show. So it felt like a great time to have him on the show to revisit some past disagreements and discuss a path forward for education in America.

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… Dems Lose Historic Lead on Education in Battleground States (Democrats for Education Reform, 7/28/23) Florida Approves Use Of Conservative Content From 'Prager U' In Schools (WTSP, 7/26/23) California Moves To Silence Stanford Researchers Who Got State Data To Study Education Issues (EdSource, 7/28/23) Eighth Graders at LeBron James’...

Ravi is joined by Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of Education and current CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center. In a wide-ranging conversation about the past, present, and future of education policy, Spellings offers insights into misunderstood initiatives like No Child Left Behind. Looking Back to Look Forward: Quantitative and Qualitative Reviews of the Past 20 Years of K-12 Education...

Today Chris talks school choice with Josh Cowen, a professor of education policy who founded the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative.

Chris interviews Beth Lewis, Director of Save Our Schools Arizona to discuss the nuances of school choice and Education Savings Accounts.  

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed…everything! Supreme Court Rejects Race-Based Affirmative Action In College Admissions (WaPo, 6/29/23) Our Confidence In College Is Plummeting To A Shocking Degree. Here Are Likely Reasons Why (Fast Company, 7/12/23) Miami Dade College Expands High School ‘teaching Academies’ To Address Teacher Shortage (WLRN, 7/11/23) Pennsylvania Gov...

This week Chris sits down with Marc Porter Magee, CEO and founder of 50CAN: a 50-state campaign advocating for a better education system that delivers on Five Promises to America’s Children.

This week Chris sits down with Robert Enlow, President and CEO of EdChoice to debate the merits of Education Savings Accounts. Check out Robert’s piece on ESAs here: Success of Educational Choice Laws Will Depend on Implementing Them with Excellence (EducationNext, 6/12/23)

Our guest this week is Emily Hanford, host of the podcast Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong. Emily and Chris discuss how a flawed method of reading instruction was allowed to hold sway in our schools for so long.

First up, a discussion with Tim DeRoche, founder of Available 2 All. Stuyvesant High School Admitted 762 New Students. Only 7 Are Black. (NYT, 6/2/23) Then, Chris and Ravi discussed… Opinion | In A Deep Red Florida County, A Student-Teacher Revolt Shames The Right (WaPo, 6/1/23)  ‘The Minnesota Miracle’ Should Serve as a Model for Democrats (WaPo, 6/4/23)

This week, Chris interviewed two of his favorite education luminaries. First up: President Obama’s Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan: Five Ways We Can Put Aside Partisan Politics And Think Big On Education (Washington Times, 10/18/21) Study Shows Parents Overestimate Their Student’s Academic Progress (PBS, 4/16/23) We Know How To Prevent Gun Violence. Now We Need To Scale It. (Stanford Social In...

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… Florida mandates Asian American History: Desantis Criticized For Mandating Asian American History While Banning Courses On 'Systemic Racism' (NBC, 5/17/23) Do we have it all wrong about screens? Digital Games Beat Out Lectures When It Comes to Student Learning (EdWeek, 5/17/23) How Technology Is Changing The Way We Teach Kids To Read...

Chris sits down with Neal McCluskey, Director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Educational Freedom, to discuss the challenges and opportunities in today’s public school system. Chris and Neal break down the libertarian perspective on everything from school funding to the government's role in education, ask if school choice is a one-size-fits-all solution and whether we’re living in a “gold rush”...

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… Why Is Our Society So Lenient Toward Parents Who Mistreat Their Kids? (New York Post, 4/22/23) False Alarm: How Wisconsin Uses Race and Income to Label Students “High Risk” (The Markup, 4/27/23)

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed COVID-19 and the American Federation of Teachers: Opinion | Randi Weingarten’s Incredible COVID Memory Loss (WSJ, 4/30/23) Here's What AFT’s Randi Weingarten Said About Reopening Schools During COVID-19 (PolitiFact, 5/2/23)

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris interviewed… Bernita Bradley, founder of Engaged Detroit The Rise of Black Homeschooling (The New Yorker, 6/21/21) Janelle Wood, President of The Black Mothers Forum Black Arizona Mothers Launch Micro-Schools To Foster Safe, Supportive Learning Environments (Black Enterprise, 1/27/22)

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed what’s making them think:  Asbury Park Third-Graders Need More Than Phonics To Learn to Read: Here’s What We’re Missing (NJ Education Report, 4/18/23) Students Are Ditching College For Trade Programs Teaching Hard Skills: ‘Finally, I Feel Like I’m Going To Accomplish Something In Life’ (Fortune, 4/17/23)

Chris and Ravi debate their pieces about education messaging in upcoming elections: Ravi's: Is The GOP Winning The Education Message Wars? (Imbroglio, 3/28/23) Chris': Neither Political Party Has An 'Education' Message Worth Hearing (Always Learning, 4/3/23) Plus some discussion of our Regressives episodes about affirmative action: A Funeral For Affirmative Action The Problem With College Admissio...

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and guest host Stacey Shells Harvey (from the Sweat the Technique podcast) discussed… The differential treatment of black and white girls in public education: Angel Reese Can Shine as Brightly as She Wants (Atlantic, 4/5/23) And black homeschooling and educational autonomy: Black Families Look to Continue Pod Schooling Movement Beyond Pandemic (The 74,...

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and special guest host Rikki Schlott discussed... Gen Z Former Social Media Addict Knows Instagram Destroys Young Lives (New York Post, 9/25/21) Don’t Let Politics Cloud Your View of What’s Going On With Teens and Depression (NYT, 2/24/23) Why the Mental Health of Liberal Girls Sank First and Fastest (After Babel, 3/1/23)

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… What’s making them think:  Utah's New Social Media Law Means Children Will Need Approval From Parents (NPR, 3/24/23) The Status Of Anti-Drag Show Bills Across The Country (Time, 3/15/23)

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… What’s making them mad:  Quinta Brunson's Response To An Education CEO Who Tried To Call Her Out For An "Abbott Elementary" Storyline Has Me Cackling Laughing (Buzzfeed, 3/18/23) And Educational Savings Accounts with guest Adam Peshek of the Stand Together Trust: ESAs Don’t Need the Charter Treatment (Permissionless Education, 2/21/2...

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… A trending video of a teacher engaging with her students.  What’s making them think:  It's Time To Stop Giving Homework (Human Restoration Project, 3/4/23) And an enlightening interview with Michael Goldstein, founder of Match Charter Public Schools in Massachusetts and former CAO of Bridge International Academies. Beyond Moneyball:...

This week on The Citizen Stewart Show, Chris and Ravi discussed… The dark forces at play in our schools: Who’s Stopping The Government From Giving Americans Relief From Crushing Student Loans (CNN, 2/28/23) And what’s making them think:  Is It Any Surprise Young People Are Turning To Tiktok To Learn About Sex? (Cosmo UK, 1/3/23) When To Start Talking About Sexual Health With Your Child: Earlier Th...