Almost 50 years ago, while President of CEC, Frances Connor delivered a presidential address entitled "The Sword and the Spirit." She called for five revolutions. The first revolution called for increasing the quantity and quality of special education teachers. The second stated that "special education depends upon an intensive infusion of new knowledge, not the perpetuation of past practice." The third called for special education's efforts to be based on hope, not preconceived limits. The fourth tells that improvement of the education for exceptional children is a cooperative endeavor, not a power struggle. The final revolution is that the status quo is to be evaluated and not treasured. This article features the author's address from the 2012 CEC Convention in Denver, Colorado. His presentation examines how well the special education field has done in implementing Connor's vision as well as some other challenges.