Description: In schools, a Code Red alert indicates a potential or immediate threat within a building or on a campus and is the signal for a full-scale lockdown of all classrooms. This book, Code Red: Conversations and Solutions for an Educational System in Crisis, presents a variety of voices from teachers, administrators, teacher preparation faculty, college supervisors, and pre-service teacher candidates. These voices are crying "Code Red" because they want a broken system repaired. For them, the system is bleeding, cancerous, and in turmoil, with the expectation that they work under arduous and often dangerous conditions; teachers are underpaid, devalued, exhausted, voiceless, and abused. They face an environment in which politics has replaced learning, students are failing and, in extreme circumstances, walking away from schools or even committing suicide. The political discourse is wrestling control from teachers in certain states. Neurodivergent students are being pushed aside. The altruistic profession of teaching is being reduced to factory work, in which teachers--especially those in their first five years of service--are leaving the profession at staggering rates. The profession itself is at risk of becoming obsolete.
The contributors to Code Red believe that the American educational system has entered a moment of crisis. Their voices need to be heard, and their stories and lived experiences should be recognized. The adage is true: the answer to any problem resides with those who own the problem. We cannot create solutions without owning that these issues exist, and all of America owns the education of our children. Therefore, this book provides a dialogic space where everyone involved in the American educational system can reimagine the possibilities of our system and, through this process, begin creating positive and sustainable changes to bring our system out of crisis. In addition to providing a vivid picture of the current state of public schools, the book offers real solutions that can be used to produce healthier, more successful classrooms. It is an invaluable tool for instructors, pre-service teachers, and Colleges of Education administrators. Perfect for courses such as: Introductory Education; Undergraduate Social and Cultural Foundations of Education; Introductory Educational Leadership; Introductory Undergraduate Teacher Preparation; Graduate Foundations of Education; and Introductory MAT GraduateBrief description: Joseph R. Jones, Ph.D. is a Professor of Education and qualitative researcher whose research resides within a critical theory paradigm. His research primarily examines inclusivity within educational environments, specifically heteronormativity. He is the recipient of several awards including the 2017 Stonewall Service Award from CCCC/NCTE. He is also the recipient of the Georgia Council of Teachers of English 2020 Teacher of the Year Award.
Review Quotes: "Code Red: Conversations and Solutions for an Educational System in Crisis is a must read for all Americans. As the 'Introduction' asserts, we are all responsible for the education of our children. Schools are microcosms of society at large, therefore any dilemma or crisis that influences society also affects schools. In both arenas, we must critically analyze our current practices to plan how we move forward. As someone who both teaches high school and trains future teachers, I recognize the influence of standardized testing, technology, social and mainstream media, political involvement, parental disengagement, and many of the other challenges mentioned in the book. This book shines a light on many issues that society is not talking about and how those issues affect the reality of our current educational system. Indeed, it is a Code Red."--Vincent W. Youngbauer PhD, Bibb County School District