As state legislatures go to work this year, one of the overriding questions is whether 2012 will bring a reprise of last year's frenzied work on education--much of it shepherded by newly elected Republican majorities and governors--or whether elected officials will take a more deliberate and cautious approach. Last year, many governors and…

Despite bleak fiscal conditions that could thwart some of their priorities, governors and state lawmakers--bolstered in some cases by new Republican majorities--are expected to press forward this year with ambitious education proposals that could include changing teacher job protections and expanding school choice. Newly elected and returning…