ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses one access route to citizenship: the education of children. Educational reform, of both institutions and curricula, is on the agenda. Combined, the agendas of moral, political, and educational reform have stimulated an interest in education for citizenship. In studies of citizenship, the turn toward education is always suspect, because it often disguises a failure to understand and improve citizen interaction among adults. The political process itself is the most important education for citizenship. Education is unavoidably a practical exercise in citizenship. Education is a Lamarckian transmission of acquired characteristics of culture. Neorepublicans conceive of citizenship and education as two distinct practices in their own right. A major educational dilemma that remains beyond its reach, namely the problem of ripeness. Ripeness constitutes a major dilemma for educators, including those who want to guide their pupils toward citizenship. In contemporary societies, pupils have many escapes that allow them to avoid unpleasant experiences.
