Outside of family, no institution affects the cognitive and affective growth of children more than public schooling. Indeed, that is the way it should be in a democratic society. John Dewey believed public education to be the bedrock of modern democratic society. From preschool to high school graduation, for 14 years, young people spend seven hours per day in school. So things must be okay, right? But wait, what are they learning? Good citizenship, how to get along with others, creative thinking, a sense of self-worth and fair play? Are they developing along appropriate lines in a system tailored according to age-old wisdom and modern findings on human development? Don't bet on it.

They are learning that one-third of their peers will become winners, the other two-thirds losers. This will happen early on and the winners and losers will not mix. They are also learning about the sophisticated social phenomenon known as "social stratification"-cliques, which vary depending on local demographics and customs, and which fragment social interaction among students. This too occurs early and runs deep within the academic and social fabric of school. They are learning the correlation between belonging to a certain clique and achieving success in school. The winners are learning to play the game-that the way to succeed is to suck up to the adults who run the system. They are also learning that losers are people with different color skins, less money, and different languages. Losers, in turn, are learning that differences are not acceptable and that the consequences for nonconformity include penalties such as public ridicule, illegal search and seizure, and the denial of an education via expulsion. No Golden Rule here. Ultimately, and sadly, this is their rite of passage into the adult world.

If you don't believe me, spend some time visiting your local middle or high school. Observe the social dynamics, interview young people, ask your child, read what youth are writing about their school experience. Look at the statistics on the numbers of students who can't read, who can't compute, and who drop out. Ask yourself why many parents are opting to remove their children in order to home school them.

Is this a system that has been designed to best educate children to live and lead in a democratic society? I think not. Sometimes I wonder why youth don't drop out en masse. I wonder why parents and concerned citizens are not up in arms, demanding to work alongside educators and youth to create a more noble and humane set of goals; demanding that the higher education institutions, still turning out teachers in silent compliance with the system, lead the way in creating an educational system worthy of our children and our great democratic society.

In this issue our authors address, in very gutsy and pragmatic ways, ideas and methods for actualizing education reform. In our cover story, Richard Murphy, Stephanie Smith, and Jean Thomases describe CBO schools: a wonderful example of how some schools are grappling with these issues effectively right now. Peter Senge points to the need for modern education and the cost of not attending to our young people, and offers suggestions for remedy. By applying the CYD methodology, Bonnie Bernard provides a framework and formula for ensuring that educators meet the cognitive, affective, spiritual, and social developmental needs of children and youth. There is no dearth of ideas.

Thomas Jefferson said it best: "The price of democracy is everlasting vigilance." We cannot let a caste of "experts" trained to function in a system that has lost its historical moment, if it truly ever had one-a dinosaur gasping for its last breath-to determine what is best educationally and emotionally for our children. We must move beyond vigilance and into co-creation of schooling with all the stakeholders-including students and parents.