Chris Stewart

An award-winning writer, speaker, and blogger, Chris Stewart is a relentless advocate for children and families. Based in outstate Minnesota, Chris is CEO of brightbeam, a nonprofit media group that runs campaigns to highlight policies and practices that support thriving kids. He was the founding Director of the African American Leadership Forum, was an elected member of the Minneapolis Board of Education, and founded and served as the CEO of Wayfinder Foundation. Above all, Chris is a serial parent, a Minecraft enthusiast, and an epic firestarter on Twitter where he has antagonized the best of them on the political left and right. You’ll often see Chris blogging at citizenstewart.com and “tweeting” under the name “Citizen Stewart.”

Posts By Chris Stewart

Diversity

Why the Black Male Educator Conference Matters More Than Ever: A Decade of Community, Culture, & Liberation

I’ve been attending the Black Male Educator Conference (BMEC) since the very beginning—back in 2015, when 100 Black men teaching in Philadelphia gathered in a room for a radical revival to lift each...

whole child

How Sesame Street Made Learning Irresistible

I have a vague memory of sitting on a little wooden potty chair in my grandparents’ living room. Green shag carpet beneath my feet. Positioned in front of a massive television, back when TVs looked...

EdTech

AI Won’t Replace Your Kid’s Teacher, But It Will Make Them Better

A few messages arrived asking if I’m going soft on AI in education. I’ve sounded cynical in the past about the idea (even as I wrote cautiwously in favor of it). Am I buying into the hype after...

EdTech

AI Can Finally Make Education Work. If We Don’t Screw It Up.

I feel like Morpheus offering you two pills, except both pills are just facts you’ve been avoiding. Fact one: We’ve known for 40 years what actually works in education. One-on-one tutoring. Benjamin...

student support

Why “Gender Queer” Belongs on Library Shelves — Even If It Makes You Uncomfortable

I wanted to write something cutesy like, “I read Gender Queer, so you don't have to,” but that would be bad advice. With book bans popping up across America like acne, the best soap would be an...

opportunity gap

Life Fell Apart For Me. It Won't For Them.

I needed someone to believe in what I could become, but those voices were silent. At least, that's how I remember my twenties—adrift in that gap decade between teenage dreams and adult clarity. That...