Quick Hits (10.7.11)

More data, more accountability for K-12. Another report out this week, titled “What Gets Measured Gets Done,” tells us the importance of college completion rates in K-12 accountability. Tracking how high school graduates fare in postsecondary education can provide thoughtful and detailed feedback, the report says, to improve college- and career-readiness at the high school level. ES analysts pushed for the same in this policy brief. (Jobs for the Future)

Hitting the road. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad began a series of community forums on Thursday that he hopes will draw feedback for his plan on education reform, which we mentioned earlier this week. The feedback will be used to revise the plan before he pitches it to lawmakers next year. Among other things, he calls for tougher entry standards for teacher preparation programs … one of the things panelists touched on during an ES event last week. Did you miss the event with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan? We’ve got a recap of the lively panel discussion, including video, here. (Des Moines Register)

Uno. AJC education blogger Maureen Downey points out an interesting statistic included in a report released by the Alliance for Excellent Education: in 1987-88, the average teacher had 15 years of experience. Fast forward 20 years and that number drops to one. Is it true? How many years of experience do you have? (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Inside a ‘flipped classroom’. A reporter visits a ‘flipped’ Advanced Placement math class in Maryland, where the teacher said she began putting class lectures online once she realized she couldn’t get through all of the material in typical class time. Now, she finishes a month early and uses the extra time for review. ES Managing Director Bill Tucker makes a case for ‘flipped classrooms’ in the latest issue of Education Next. (USA Today)