Elaborating three major dimensions of our profession, the authors argue the need for critically literate citizens and the urgent need for English teacher educators to prepare teachers who envision that as their key professional responsibility. The authors contextualize this task within the current political and social climate in which distortion of language in civic discourse threatens to undermine not only our profession, but also American public life and democracy. ["The State of English Education and a Vision for Its Future: A Call to Arms" was written with Lynn Alvine, Gina DeBlase, Michael Moore, Robert Petrone and Mary Sawyer.]