Quick Hits (1.17.12)

Garageband for Textbooks. Everyone’s speculating over Apple’s big announcement, to come Thursday, and all rumors point to college textbooks. (The Atlantic)

Striking tenure. A petition filed in Missouri would eliminate tenure for teachers, but it needs at least 147,000 signatures before it goes before voters in November. (KSPR)

Defining status quo. England is changing its “satisfactory” rating within its four-step accountability system to “requires improvement,” in an effort to push officials in some 3,000 “satisfactory” schools to make greater gains. England uses independent inspection, or evaluation, teams to keep tabs on schools and make recommendations for improvements. In an Education Sector report released last week, Craig Jerald tells us how we can use this system in the United States. (The Telegraph)

But what would college students wear to class? A local official in Louisiana is proposing a ban on pajamas in public. “Today, it’s pajamas. Tomorrow, it’s underwear. Where does it stop?” he asks. (TIME)