Quick Hits (3.29.12)

Does early college work? It’s Early College High School Week, and Jobs for the Future has put together this terrific infographic on the impact that early college programs have on students who have been underrepresented in higher education. (Jobs for the Future)

Tinkering. Just over two years ago, the federal government committed over $3 billion nationwide to helping states and districts turn around their worst performing schools. Where has the money gone? According to a new report released today, the districts are merely “Tinkering Toward Transformation.” (Center on Reinventing Public Education.)

And don’t miss Education Sector’s new report, “Off the Clock,” which shows why simply extending learning time isn’t going to be enough to turn around these schools.

Moving beyond the bubble. Michigan had already decided to phase out its state tests and replace them with the Smarter Balanced Assessment in 2014-15. But now lawmakers are considering moving more quickly to a computer-adaptive online assessment program. (Detroit Free Press)

The dilemma of how to transition between existing state tests and the PARCC or Smarter Balanced assessments is just one of the topics discussed in Tuesday’s panel, Getting to 2014. Watch the full discussion here.

It’s not just his brackets that were busted. Apparently tempers boiled over in a Kentucky dialysis center when a 71-year-old Louisville fan decked a 68-year-old fan of the Kentucky Wildcats. The two rivals meet on Saturday night in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. (Atlanta Journal Constitution)