In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the American government acted quickly to mobilize what it called "critical homeland defenders" to meet the threat faced by our nation and the world. Not surprisingly, 21 government agencies made the list, ranging from the State Department to the U.S. Border Patrol.

That may be what it takes to address the immediate crisis. But for the long-term preservation and expansion of democratic freedom, the United States must look to public schools--the one institution founded to transmit civic principles and virtues from one generation to the next. Public schools must not only be added to the list, they should be moved up to the top as America's most important homeland defender.

Before 9/11, civic education was taken for granted or treated as an afterthought in many school districts. Renewing the civic mission of public schools wasn't high on America's educational agenda--even as evidence mounted that growing numbers of young Americans were uninformed about democratic principles, disengaged from the political process, distrusting of government and uninterested in working for the common good. But the wake-up call on 9/11 reminded many Americans, including many school leaders, of the vital link between democracy and public education.