This book defends the democratic ideal of education and elaborates its implications for educational practices in the United States today. The volume contends democracy is not merely a political process of rule by majorities or pluralities, but it is also a political ideal of a society whose adult members are, and continue to be, equipped by their education and authorized by political structures to share in ruling. Chapters in the book include: (1) "Introduction: Back to Basics"; (2) "States and Education"; (3) "The Purposes of Primary Education"; (4) "Dimensions of Democratic Participation"; (5) "The Limits of Democratic Authority"; (6) "Distributing Primary Schooling"; (7) "The Purposes of Higher Education"; (8) "Distributing Higher Education"; (9) "Extramural Education"; (10)"Educating Adults"; and (11) "Conclusion: The Primacy of Political Education." (EH)