1) Prelude to a Post: A few weeks back, Robert Pondiscio, eduwonk, Charlie Barone, and I went at it about the impact of NCLB/accountability systems on curriculum and instruction. Now, Ms. Frizzle explains how NYC's Progress Report system is affecting her school (A Fairy Tale), and the Tempered Radical contemplates the costs of cutting out higher order thinking skills to up his scores (Tricks or Trash?). Stay tuned for my very tardy follow-up on this debate.

2) When Bad Clothes Happen to Good People: I noticed, too. Fashionista A-Rus talks wardrobe (Spellings, Jessica Alba, and the Polar Bear from the Golden Compass).

3) Superfreaky: What would Steve Levitt say to Nabokov over beer? See this follow-up to the Facebook literary SAT graph (What Do Lolita and Freakonomics Have In Common?).

4) Dunking Booth and Cotton Candy Not Included: The Carnival of Education is up at Creating Lifelong Learners.