Education Emergency: Closing the Achievement Gap for At-Risk and Minority Youth in Urban Schools

This book, Education Emergency is necessary because urban education is in a state of crisis. The endless cycle of teachers abandoning our urban youth and fleeing inner-city schools for their suburban counterparts, out of classroom positions or other professions has been and continues to be a tremendous problem. Teachers are walking away from the profession in droves due to the frustration and stress that comes with the job. Additionally, over the past decade, the sky-rocketing price of college tuition and the student loan debt crisis have left students trying to figure out if they can even afford to go to college or how they will pay back student loan debt upon graduation. We have truly reached a state of emergency when our most vulnerable students began to question if going to college is even worth it. Furthermore, the steadily increasing price of rent in urban areas in combination with the lack of opportunity to land mid to high wage jobs is creating a serious quality of life problem for our urban youth. Compounding this problem, is the issue that students living and attending schools in economically distressed and or high crime communities are being exposed to an excessive amount of violence. Students from disadvantaged, urban, areas are constantly exposed to economic, physical, cultural, social, spiritual and mental trauma. This book provides remedies and recommendations for urban teachers to help at-risk youth overcome the challenges and excessive stress, they may face growing up and attending schools in these turbulent and violent communities.