While the purpose of K-12 education is largely to train students for college and career, free education in a democratic society has another purpose: to prepare citizens to rule themselves. In this article, Anderson and Gurnee explain how place-based learning equips students to be active citizens in their communities. In this model, school localize learning by teaching students about local history, people, locations, and issues. Students explore the places around them through field trips, guest speakers, and relationships with nearby organizations. The authors--who are educators at a place-based charter school in Portland, Oregon--highlight a multitude of placed-based learning projects and their benefits. For instance, younger students learn about neighborhood elements and work with a local group to welcome newcomers to the community. Older students learn about the immigration debate and host a naturalization ceremony at their school. Middle schoolers take part in service-learning internships as they work with agencies to address problems in their city. It's through learning opportunities like these, say the authors, that students learn to be tomorrow's problem solvers, leaders, and stewards of democracy.