Afternoon announcements: October 16, 2012

The only thing better than an engaging infographic is a well-written feature. Today, we have two must-read features for you.But first, the news.

Education reform in France means no homework. I bet there are a number of American kids who would get on board with that! The Huffington Post has the story.

Tonight, Obama & Romney duel again, with words that is. Preceding this second presidential debate, campaign surrogates debated education policy last night at Columbia University’s Teachers College. The Huffington Post reports that while the two candidates have similar views on education, the real difference comes in their view of what role the federal government should play. Politics K-12 focuses on the Romney side’s assertion that if he wins, there may be no more No Child Left Behind (NCLB) waivers.

There are few things more compelling than trained assassins, amirite? From James Bond to the Bourne Identity to the acclaimed Showtime series, Homeland, Americans are obsessed with stories of intrigue and danger. But those are fiction. How does it happen in real life? How does a magnet school, honors student become a hired hit man? The New Yorker tells the story of Detroit native, Vincent Smothers.

When I was in high school, Advanced Placement (AP) courses were exploding. They were touted as the responsible college-prep student’s secret weapon – keep college cheaper, and get to the coursework that you care about, by knocking out a few of those general requirement classes while still in high school. That’s still the general perception today. However, there’s a contrasting viewpoint that believes the classes are fraudulent. Author John Tierney writes in The Atlantic that the classes do not offer college-level preparedness in the subject areas or save students money, and serve as a money-making scheme by the College Board.