Quick Hits (10.6.11)

The power of data. States should start keeping tabs on how their high school graduates fare in college, a new report released Wednesday says. By tracking these students, their success rates, and whether they need to take remedial courses to finish, high schools can better modify their curriculums and more adequately prepare students for college and careers. ES analysts also argued for this flow of data between K-12 and college in a January policy brief.

Rest in peace. Apple founder Steve Jobs’ impact will live on in classrooms across America: at last count, at least 600 schools nationwide were piloting iPads in the classroom as a replacement for textbooks. (State Impact)

Heads Up 7Up. Children in one British school are not permitted to raise their hands in class as a way to foster a “calmer and more inclusive atmosphere.” Instead, kids stick their thumbs up. Kind of ruins the excitement of being the first with the right answer. (Time)

No longer ‘dummied down’. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan assures one Facebook follower that states are on the up-and-up in terms of accountability and quality, thanks to his waiver plan. In his video response, he says NCLB, in part, ‘dummied down’ the standards. Keep up with ES’s Anne Hyslop and her analysis of the NCLB waivers. (U.S. Department of Education)