Drawing from Buckingham's media education framework, this article uses content analysis to review one of the most recent and far-reaching disciplinary constructions of English in the United States, the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, in light of its engagement with larger social practices involved in text production, representation, and audience meaning making. This analysis demonstrates that the Common Core's Anchor Standards miss significant opportunities to connect texts and literacies to broader social, economic, and political contexts of text content, production, and reception--contexts that can provide a disciplinary foundation for social justice pedagogy in English language arts.