Reflections on Making the Progressive Vision a Reality: Commentary on "A Journey through Nine Decades of NCTE-Published Research in Elementary Literacy"

Elizabeth Dutro and Kathleen Collins have written a fascinating and broad-ranging review that captures the richness of perspectives and findings in elementary literacy research, based on an examination of roughly 7,700 titles published in NCTE journals. This daunting figure provides an indication of the productivity and extensive contributions of literacy researchers over nearly a century of endeavor. In this article, the author shares some reflections sparked by this review, filtered through the lens of her career-long interest in research that has the potential to improve the school literacy learning of students of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.