Public and higher education have fallen prey to forces of commercialization, privatization, and market considerations that undermine civic and critical learning while devaluing young people as a referent for a democratic and just future. This article criticizes this position and makes a case for reclaiming such vital institutions as fundamental to a substantive democracy, emphasizing the importance of critical pedagogy in providing students with the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind that prepare them to be engaged, critical citizens.