What is education? What is its purpose? And, most importantly, what is the nature and role of education in a democracy? These questions are important not only for contemplative educators and philosophers but also for teachers, parents, policymakers, school personnel and citizens at large. In this volume, John Goodlad speaks to all of us who are faced with making critical choices for our nation's children, whether it be in the election arena, our local schools, or within the personal setting of the family. Arguing that education is an inalienable right in a democratic society, he draws the reader into a conversation on the purpose of education: to develop individual and collective democratic character. His discussion covers some of our most basic and enduring concerns as well as the pressing and controversial issues of the day, such as school choice, charter schools, home schooling, and the privatization of schooling.