This article suggests a new justification for protecting student speech that specifically addresses the need for free expression and inquiry in school- sponsored forums. Starting with the proposition that student speech prepares one for self-government, I suggest we re-define the kind of self-government to which we ask students to aspire. By recasting our conception of democracy in a way that highlights universal participation and group transformation, we will find a theory of government much closer to the values of group discovery and social reform.