Rock the Schools with Citizen Stewart

This week, Chris Stewart talks to Ericka Huggins about her life as an educator, member of the Los Angeles chapter of the Black Panther Party, the Criminal Justice system and the Black Lives Matter movement. In 1963, during the height of the civil rights movement, Ericka began her political activism after attending the march in Washington, D.C. Chris a.k.a Citizen Stewart, digs deep for answers about how to model the academic success of the Oakland Community School started by the Black Panther Party achieved.

Chris Stewart and Dr. Charles Morgan, CEO of Union Gospel Mission will dig deep into the family's root cause of homelessness and its connection to education. Dora Jones, Founder of Mentoring Young Adults, will join the conversation to shine light on an education system that has failed MYA's youth and families that she serves in Saint Paul, MN and why she is on a mission to disrupt poverty.

RTS with Citizen Stewart talks one on one with civic rights activist, DeRay McKesson. In a short time DeRay Mckesson has become known for a new brand of civil rights advocacy, based largely on digital activism. Along with other activists he has raised consciousness about police killings of unarmed black people in communities across the country. While most of his followers know him for that work, fewer know the deep understanding his time in public education gave him for how human capital and classroom practices impact students, especially those in poor communities. He joins our show to talk about the importance of understanding school systems if we want to achieve educational justice.

Meet the producer, Rebeka Ndosi, who worked on TPT's Believe in Black Youth campaign. Black Brilliance, the documentary first aired Sunday, September 27 on TPT, featured 5 Minnesota High School seniors who demonstrate black excellence while overcoming stereotypes and defying the belief gap, to soar to success. "Black Brilliance" and the "Believe in Black Youth Campaign" is produced by Twin Cities Public Television and part of American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen - a national initiative in which local communities identify solutions to the challenges facing K-12 education in America

Rock the Schools with Citizen Stewart talks #Black Lives Matter from Washington, DC with special guest Chauntyll Allen of Black Lives Matter, St. Paul, MN, after attending sessions at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference 2015.

A special episode from Washington D.C. What happens when you take parents to our nation's capitol to discuss education reform. Chris debriefs with three #NOLA parents after attending education sessions at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference 2015

The Politics of Education with special guests JACKIE TURNER, Chief Communications Officer St. Paul Public Schools, LATASHA GANDY, Students for Education Reform and MICHAEL SPANGENBERG, Education Activist and Writer promoting power to parents and students.

There is no more central figure in the educational life of children than their classroom teachers. Yet, the most important rules governing how teachers arrive to classrooms, how they stay there, and what is expected of them are tied up in labor politics that impact almost every aspect of teaching. In a previous show we discussed the mysterious and depressing way in which teacher contracts are negotiated. What takes place in the negotiating room likely would shock many Americans. But, even more damning is the way in which teacher union supporters act politically against advocates of school reform. We will discuss the real consequences of being an activist for changes to the way schools hire, train, and retain teachers.

"The Politics of Integration" is a powerful exchange between law school professors Nekima Levy- Pounds, Professor of Law at University of St. Thomas and Myron Orfield, Professor of Law at University of MN. Dr. Levy-Pounds challenges Dr. Orfield's research as it relates to racial and economic equity for communities of color.

Chris Stewart and special guest educator, Charles Cole "Breaking Down The Oakland Public School Industrial Complex". Charles' passion comes from his own experiences growing up without proper support. His life's goal is to better the communities he grew up in through his work.

Chris Stewart and special guest, 2016 Puget Sound ESD Teacher of the Year Nate Bowling, discuss why education is failing our youth. Nate teaches AP Government, Politics and Human Geography at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, WA. From an educators perspective, he sees a new group of people that have fire in their bellies and that believe all students have a right to the best education available.

If you listen to national anti-reform activists you might assume that all education workers that came to rebuild public education in New Orleans were opportunistic carpet baggers seizing on a profitable opportunity. That is an unfortunate narrative that insults the hard work done by earnest people who came to New Orleans like many Americans, to help. Pete Cook is one of those people. He moved to New Orleans in 2002 (before the devastation of Katrina) to teach at John McDonough High School when it was deeply troubled. We talk to him about the educational triage work he did with other education workers after Katrina. Pete in addition to teaching in New Orleans before Katrina, he also worked for KIPP New Orleans, the Recovery School District, and Mass Insight.

For the month of July Rock The Schools is recording in New Orleans as part of a future series on the anniversary of post-Katrina school reform. We will speak with parents, educators, and community members about the challenges and successes that have come from rebirth of public education in a city that has a long history of racial caste and a three-tiered system of education. On this episode: School reform in New Orleans is a national story that is often called miraculous by education leaders, but local parents often tell a more mixed story. Our guest Ashana Bigard is one of those parents. She has helped parents navigate NOLA schools and has seen first had the struggles they have had to get the best education for their kids (even after reform). We talk to her as a critical friend, to hear what education reformers should know about the parent perspective. Ashana has been featured on the Edushyster blog and in The Atlantic.

Whether we call it "reform" or not, the effort to improve school isn't solely about fixing public education. It is about discovering new ways to inspire learning, and building better schools. Many good people have invested countless hours in pursuit of education that works for kids. Some have failed, some have succeeded, but few tell their stories. We speak with Gregory Gentle, a long time educator, about his work to start a new school.

Liberals and progressives have traditionally been counted as allies in the struggle of marginalized communities to gain education. Even so, our friends on the left have become the biggest barriers to education reforms that would open up educational options for black people. Is it time to call the question: "are leftist educational politics at odds with our goal of black liberation through education?"

Your perspective on education activism changes when you become a leader within a school district after being an activist. Alberto Monseratte shares his journey as an education reformer, activist, and the first Latino board of education member in Minneapolis.

Nekima Levy-Pounds was recently elected as the president of Minneapolis' NAACP. A fierce advocate for justice, and a supportive critic of school reform, she embodies a hopeful "third way" approach to education activism. We talk to her about how focus on schools fit into a broader justice agenda, and how her leadership will differ from other emerging leaders.

Earlier this year the school reform outfit Better Ed had a dust up with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, which exposed how disconnected some forms of school reform are from the communities they want to help. I speak with Devin Foley about this and the strange politics of education reform.

We will discuss the need for school reform efforts to be led by the parents and students who are most affected, and the challenges developing parent power in the movement.

Rock The Schools with Citizen Stewart - A Contract for Student Achievement, featuring special guests Lynne Mickelson And MinnPost's Beth Hawkins. We will discuss how mysterious the process of negotiating between teachers and school districts has been, and what it looks like when citizens and media get inside.