It's 2008, but the prospect of a new administration--and a new U.S. Department of Education--has the author thinking about 2001. What haunts the author most about No Child Left Behind's (NCLB's) sound and fury is that this legislation--far from signifying nothing--has helped lock in place the very structures of schooling that most need change. For decades, schools have relied on test scores as outcomes, increased graduation requirements, and tried to teacher-proof their classrooms. None of these steps have helped engender the school renewal people seek. The Forum for Education and Democracy was founded to try and turn around this misguided agenda for schools. At the Forum, they are committed to taking seriously the mission of the public school system--the development in all of the children the tools necessary for lifelong learning and engaged citizenship. The author calls on everyone to help the next administration craft policies that help ensure all young people acquire the skills and self-confidence they need to be seen and heard--both in their schools and throughout the democratic society--in meaningful, responsible ways.