The federal role in education will soon be transformed in ways that could produce an even greater society than President Lyndon B. Johnson envisioned. The authors identify underlying principles of this new role and describe how it represents a significant departure from the past. Historically, for example, the federal government has been prescriptive about the kinds of practices that states and districts must adopt as a condition of receiving federal funds, but it has not specified outcomes. Under the new approach, the federal government would specify the goals and outcomes while allowing states, districts, and schools flexibility in how they use federal funds to innovate and adopt best practices. The authors argue for immediate action. Every day of delay, they note, yields another seven thousand dropouts and leaves schools and communities without the tools and resources that can help turn the situation around. (Contains 12 notes.)