Critical Literacy, Educational Investment, and the Blueprint for Reform: An Analysis of the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

Abstract

This article analyzes, “A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act,” a recently released report from the U.S. Department of Education. It begins with an analysis of the strengths of the report. The Blueprint argues for increased college access and more federal attention to public education. In addition, the Blueprint outlines an inclusive and simultaneous commitment to educational equity and national excellence. The article then transitions to a critique of the Blueprint's choosing to blame teachers and school leaders for the failure of schools instead of acknowledging the past failure of the federal government to adequately invest in public education. The final section challenges the literacy community to amass all that we know about effective critical literacy instruction and share that information with the general public. The article concludes by calling for a national literacy research collective that examines successful classrooms and other nonschool spaces where children are learning, where they are happy, where they feel good about themselves, and where they have maintained strong connections to families and communities while learning skills that make them ready for college and for the world of civic engagement.