Typically referred to as the red scare or McCarthy era, the period from 1947 to 1954 proved particularly exacting for educators in America's public schools. Red Alert details the profound impact that the red scare had on educational policy and practice as well as examines professional educators' cautious response to anti-communist repression. In particular, Red Alert focuses on the work of the National Education Association's Defense Commission and its singular, and often fruitless, efforts to thwart red scare attack.