Join us in person or online for Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig vs. Chris Stewart debating the motion Charters and Vouchers are the Answer. Watch in person at Sacramento State or you can view on Facebook LIVE here.

Chris Stewart is Director of Outreach and External Affairs for Education Post, a nonprofit publication covering public schools. Additionally, Chris publishes Citizen Ed, a weekly education reader that highlights grassroots voices that often go unheard.

Before that, Chris was Executive Director of the African American Leadership Forum (AALF), a cross-sector network of black leaders working to develop and implement an urban policy agenda in five northwest states. In 2007 Chris was elected to the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education where he created the Equity and Achievement Committee, authored a board-level “Covenant with the African American Community,” and advocated safe, orderly, and rigorous schools that prepare students for high-wage, high-growth occupations.

Julian Vasquez Heilig is an award-winning teacher, researcher, and blogger. He is currently a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the Director of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership at California State University Sacramento.

In addition to educational accomplishments, Julian Vasquez Heilig has held a variety of practitioner, research, and leadership positions in organizations from Boston to Beijing. These experiences have provided formative professional perspectives to bridge research, theory, and practice.

His current research includes quantitatively and qualitatively examining how high-stakes testing and accountability-based reforms and market reforms impact urban minority students. Julian’s research interests also include issues of access, diversity, and equity in higher education.