A Quick Thought on Education in a Democracy

I was thinking for some reason about the role of public education in democracy. In a totalitarian state, whether fascist, communist, monarchy etc.., it is easy. The purpose is to indoctrinate the people for submission to the state. It seems a bit more complicate in democracy. Is the point to teach values that are representative of the people? Or is to educate students so as to facilitate them one day being thinking members of society who will help steer the public will for good? In the former, teachers are responsible to the desires of the taxpayer. In the latter, they are accountable to the truth (or their best percpetion of it). Although I tend towards the former, it seems that many Christians advocate the latter.