Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds do not achieve academic success from schooling in the same proportions and to the same extent as students from wealthy backgrounds. They do not achieve as highly as their wealthier peers on assessments of literacy conducted by schools and education systems. A view of literacy as social and cultural practices provides some explanation for their lower achievement on literacy assessments. The literature indicates that supporting students to develop critical literacy is one aspect of a more socially just curriculum. The collaborative action research project reported here set out to develop a set of principles or guidelines for curriculum planning in support of critical literacy development for secondary students. As the investigation proceeded, the focus changed. Through the action research process the units of work discussed by the coresearchers became an instrument for each individual to develop a theorised view of critical literacy teaching rather than a source from which to distil curriculum development guidelines. This research notes issues about teaching as a socially situated political activity, in particular concerning the accreditation system and the difficulties associated with acknowledging the political dimensions of teaching. Pedagogy for critical literacy is seen as providing questions, rather than answers. Processes for supporting students to see different reading positions for texts are explored. Tensions associated with the concept of inclusivity are noted. The process itself became the focus of critical reflection. Questions are raised about the meaning of collaboration in action research processes and about whether action research is ever as 'neat' as the literature suggests. Some tensions in conducting action research for a higher degree are described. This study concludes that there are no definitive answers to these ambiguities but that a way forward lies in articulating and investigating them.