This paper argues that the fundamental purpose of public education is preparation for citizenship and democratic participation through the inculcation of American democratic values. These values are codified by the Constitution and are further illuminated by the nation's courts and other public institutions. The paper calls for a recommitment to the American common school and a return to its democratic foundations that hold the most potential for improving children's lives. Democratic values upheld by the Constitution and the courts include religious freedom, freedom of speech, and equal protection. What is needed is not a rejection of the concept of the common school, but a revitalization of American public education consistent with America's democratic heritage. American public schools must model and promote the highest ideals of the Constitution and inculcate these values of American democracy for the safe protection of succeeding generations. (Contains 96 references.) (LMI)