In recent years, there has been increased societal andpolitical debate about how the governance of welfare institutions can best be organized to serve the public and uphold democracy. In education, positively charged key concepts such as equivalence, quality, and legal security have dominated the debate. Simultaneously, governance ideas embedded in new public management (NPM) policies, particularly the increased development of quality assurance systems and accountability regimes, have been criticized for creating unintentional consequences and narrowing the societal mandate of education. Concerns have been raised about a need to revitalize trust in professionals, while ensuring a certain amount of control. How can such a balance be found? By introducing and raising critical questions about the dominant governance discourses in education, including issues of professionalism and quality, we argue that there is a need for deliberations among policymakers, researchers, and practitioners on how to seek new ways of making welfare institutions sustainable in democratic societies. A core issue is how education can contribute constructivelyto the promotion and upholding of democracy.