The powerful literacy posse and the Common Core State Standards : a collection of scholarly papers.

This dissertation is a collection of scholarly papers on the implementation of the English/Language Arts Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the integration of the standards with critical literacy. The dissertation is divided into five sections, including three papers intended for publication. The first section is the introduction to the dissertation. It explains the context of critical literacy and the CCSS and outlines the study to be conducted. The introduction also explains the three paper format of the collection. The second section explores the integration of critical literacy and the CCSS in one classroom. Through The Advocacy Project, students find empowerment while meeting the expectations of the CCSS. The third section is a review of current literature on the implementation of the CCSS. After noting trends in the literature, this section makes recommendations for future scholarship based on the significant limitations of current research. The fourth section of the collection discusses original research conducted in light of the gaps in current literature. In a focus group study of five middle-grades teachers, participants concluded that critical literacy and successful implementation of the CCSS are not mutually exclusive. Rather, a culture of high-stakes accountability testing poses a threat to a framework of critical literacy.