Join CES founder Deborah Meier and CES board member Linda Nathan--both founders of several Essential schools in Boston and New York--to discuss the different meanings that democracy, as it applies to schools, might take. Deborah and Linda invite conversation about the different forms of democratic approaches to education that enable "we the people" to make decisions about our schools, thinking through the roles of federal, state, and local policymakers. Among other questions, they will consider the ways that the consistently perpetuated adversarial relationship between charter schools and traditional schools in ways that too often have blurred potential common aspirations and have often prevented powerful partnerships. Is there another way to think about this and other dilemmas so that we can ensure that the schools our children need and deserve serve democracy well.