In this article, the authors address the challenges facing democracy in the U.S., including restrictions on voting rights, declines in the rule of law, disputed elections, and the non-peaceful transfer of power. They assess the historic failure on the part of K-12 education systems and university leadership preparation programs to prepare students for living in a democracy, and pose questions including: "To what extent has our education system contributed to this situation? To what extent have we failed to prepare our students to take their places as constructive and productive members of their communities and of our pluralistic democracy? And if we have failed, what can we, and must we, do about it?" As a path toward more democratic outcomes, the authors propose a greater emphasis on transformative education, in which transformative leaders strive to create the conditions to enact democratic education in ways that truly prepare K-12 students to take their place as informed, engaged, and constructive participants in their communities and our pluralistic democracy. They further recommend attention to transformative leadership in educational leadership preparation programs as an anchor for leadership studies.