Quick Hits (1.25.12)

State Teacher Policy Yearbook. The National Council on Teacher Quality today released its annual state-by-state analysis of teacher-related policies. NCTQ said it saw more changes across the board in the last year than in any other year (this is the fifth edition), although it gave the nation as a whole a D+.

Now, for step 2. Nashville school officials have a data trove that keeps tabs on student test scores, attendance, discipline, and whether they attend Tennessee universities or colleges. Soon, it will track early childhood program enrollments. All of this information is helpful, but only when used to inform decisions, as Education Sector’s Anne Hyslop points out in Data That Matters. (The Tennessean)

Yes, pizza made the cut, vegetable or not. Billed as the first big overhaul of school lunches in 15 years, the Obama administration today announced new standards that require more fruit and whole grains, while cutting back on sodium. (Bloomberg)

But don’t those electronic devices give you carpal tunnel? There has been a little chatter this week, in light of National Handwriting Day on Monday, regarding the importance of writing in today’s digital age. And now this: students who say they tire from writing too much. (The Guardian)