Afternoon announcements: October 22, 2012

Wendy Kopp writes a convincing opinion piece on why education should be a topic in tonight's foreign policy presidential debate. She tells the story of Malala Yousafza, the 14 year old Pakistani girl attacked by the Taliban in her pursuit of education. Time

Fairfax County’s population of homeless students is on the rise. They’re expected to rise above 2,500 by the end of this school year, school official’s have said. If that happens, it will mark a new record. Fairfax County is one of most affluent districts in the US. Reports say that the increase is likely due to the effects of the economic recession. Washington Post

US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently gave remarks at the TIME higher education summit. You can read the full transcript at the Department of Education website. Education Department

Remember last week, we highlighted an opinion piece in The Atlantic on Advanced Placement? The author claims it’s a scam. Today, Jay Matthews, self-proclaimed as obsessed with AP, offers a rebuttal in the Washington Post. “He [John Tierney] seems unaware that AP classes and exams are designed by college professors to mimic their introductory courses, and that more than 5,000 college faculty have checked AP syllabi or graded AP exams to ensure it. Almost all colleges give credit or access to higher courses for good scores on AP exams.” Washington Post

A former Marine and current STEM teacher passionately sounds off on the current state of the teaching profession, saying, “I am a teacher. Let me teach.” Diane Ravitch’s blog

A 17-year old high school senior writes intelligently on the need for more project-based learning in the classroom. “Can creativity be taught?” She asks. “Absolutely. The real question is: ‘How do we teach it?’” MindShift