2010 was a tumultuous year for public education, in keeping with the last several years and setting the stage for 2011 and beyond. From high profile but woefully inaccurate critiques in movie theaters (e.g. the film “Waiting for Superman”) to unexpected new heroes (e.g. former high-stakes testing champion Diane Ravitch) extremes seem to be the new condition of education.

Economic turbulence remained a familiar, scary state of affairs with already strapped schools getting closer and closer to losing any kind of safety margin. According to the Sacramento Bee, schools may just scrape by in newly inaugurated Jerry Brown’s budget, but only if voters maintain current tax levels in the upcoming special election. This is welcome news, though given the overall