Contemplating the root of the word "idiocy" leads the author to explore the challenge that democratic societies face of developing public-minded citizens. The schools, he argues, are the most likely institutions to succeed in that task. Schools in societies that are trying in various ways to be democracies, such as the United States, Mexico, and Canada, are obliged to develop public citizens. The author argues here that schools are well positioned for the task, and in this article he suggest how they can improve their efforts and achieve greater success. (Contains 23 notes.)