Quick Hits (11.19.12)

In Duncan’s second term. While state education chiefs want a reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says he won’t push for it without more interest from Congress. Instead, he plans to focus more on principal evaluation and preparation, while continuing to push for reform at the state and local levels. (PoliticsK12/Education Week)

Well, that wasn’t exactly the intent. A newspaper analysis finds that Washington, D.C., students are using their public school vouchers to attend unaccredited schools, like a family-run K-12 school operating out of a storefront, a Nation of Islam school based in a converted Deanwood residence, and a school built around the philosophy of a Bulgarian psychotherapist. (Washington Post)

Science, hip-hop style. A Columbia University professor and a rapper from the Wu-Tang Clan are piloting a project in 10 New York City schools that uses hip-hop to teach science. (New York Times)

“With homework, more is not better.” Homework does little for course grades, but it’s linked to better test scores, according to new research. (Indiana University)