With the advent of cable TV and 24 hour news coverage, there seems to be many political pundits who are making a very good living predicting and prognosticating what will happen next in politics.  Their predictions do not even have to be right for them to be considered experts; they just have to sound good making the predictions.  So I thought maybe I should get in on this game since having to be right is not a requirement.  I am an expert!  Not only that but predicting the future was once a family business.  My grandmother made a living reading tea leaves and palms during the Great Depression.  It is part of my family history.  While some families have a legacy of royalty, my family’s legacy is that of a cheap fortune teller. (Really, I am not making this up.)  In any case, reading the tea leaves is in my blood and, for that matter, is part of my job.  Working in the Governmental Relations Department, I am always scouring the papers, listening to politicians’ remarks for clues as to what issues we in education should be prepared for in the future. Sometimes, these things are obvious; other times, they are subtle. After hours and hours of studying the planets, stars, tarot cards, Ouija board and the tea leaves, I have come up with 5 issues to look out for in 2009 and five predictions to go along with them.  (more…)