Despite Dewey's influence on educational thought, those with progressive visions of democratic education are generally on the margins of educational policy and practice. One notable exception was the "Eight-Year Study," a landmark attempt to design, implement, and evaluate democratic secondary schools. The Eight-Year Study was begun in 1930 by the Progressive Education Association (PEA) and the Commission on the Relation of School and College. It studied alternative programs in two school districts (Denver and Tulsa), 26 other schools, and 300 colleges and universities. A total of 1,475 students in alternative programs were matched with nonparticipants and interviewed over the next 8 years. Although the Eight-Year Study was important, it failed to bring progressive educational practices to U.S. high schools. Examination of this effort permits consideration of how democratic priorities can transform both educational practice and policy analysis. Specifically, this study demonstrates the norms, values, and technologies that guide mainstream analysis are poorly suited to record and report the strengths of the democratic orientation inspired by Dewey's work. (LMI)