This review article aims to explore how habits of mind as the concept defined under the recent Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing contributes to the development of critical thinking in the classroom. The application of a systematic review and a meta-analysis approach allows investigating the selected habits of mind and comparing them to the externally verified critical thinking skills using a multiple regression with a variation methodology. Study results suggest that the available literature does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the problem due to the variations in explanatory values of the variables selected; though, it justifies the instructional leadership approach that should be fulfilled by the educators striving to deploy the Framework in their educational environment. The review suggests using a fieldwork approach as the next step of the mentioned Framework evaluation.