The first purpose of public education in the United States is to keep the republic going, to improve its institutions, and to help individuals increase their capacity to be better. Limited government is only possible when literate citizens understand the concepts of rule of law, voluntary compliance, individual standards of craftsmanship, and integrity. Every student has the responsibility to learn how to read and write; listen and speak; compute and argue; to know history, science, and art; to think and reason; and to act responsibly within social, political, and economic institutions. Individuals have the responsibility to continually improve themselves and to understand moral behavior and motivation. This is basic to democratic citizenship, and it is the duty of the public schools to develop enlightened citizens. The individual must seek understanding of the relatedness of time, of place, and of people, and of the relatedness of cultural heritages. This search for adulthood, community, and meaning must ultimately foster the understanding that a democracy needs to continually renew itself. (JD)