The aim of the report is to inform and ignite interest in moving beyond a reflection on the dual purpose of public education to an action plan that seeks to strike the balance between academics and civic engagement for our students. In the winter of 2004, working under a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, leaders in education reform, policymaking, and research, as well as front-line practitioners and administrators, were invited as panelists (Appendix A) to look at key issues affecting academic and civic preparation through three lenses: (1) research;(2) leadership in state-level education policy; and (3) local or "ground level" concerns from local practitioners and administrators. All three Washington, DC-based Roundtables were asked to examine this question: "As states implement the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), many education leaders fear that much of the civic development that schools traditionally provided runs the risk of becoming marginalized. NCLB is breaking new ground in attempts to prepare students to attain higher levels of academic achievement, but how will it support the development of the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare an active, informed, principled, and engaged citizenry?" Approximately 150 participants (Appendix B) listened to the panelists? presentations and participated in small group discussions to further examine this question. Participants were asked to identify the basic elements of an action plan to be formalized in a final report summarizing their discussions. Their ideas were captured and cast in the form of the propositions that form the outline of this report. In the spring of 2004, these propositions were discussed in detail by several groups of state- and district-level policymakers, education leaders, community and business leaders, educators, parents, youth, and other citizens at meetings in Washington, DC; Orlando, Florida; Stafford, Virginia; Arlington, Virginia; Takoma Park, Maryland; Portland, Oregon; PhoeMassachusetts. Feedback from each of these meetings was reviewed, assessed, and incorporated into this report.