The Smartest Kids in the World

And How They Got That Way

By: Amanda Ripley

Narrated by: Kate Reading

How do other countries create "smarter" kids? In a handful of nations, virtually all children are learning to make complex arguments and solve problems they've never seen before. They are learning to think, in other words, and to thrive in the modern economy.What is it like to be a child in the world's new education superpowers?

In a global quest to find answers for our own children, author and Time magazine journalist Amanda Ripley follows three Americans embed­ded in these countries for one year. Kim, 15, raises $10,000 so she can move from Oklahoma to Finland; Eric, 18, exchanges a high-achieving Minnesota suburb for a booming city in South Korea; and Tom, 17, leaves a historic Pennsylvania village for Poland.

Through these young informants, Ripley meets battle-scarred reformers, sleep-deprived zombie students, and a teacher who earns $4 million a year. Their stories, along with groundbreaking research into learning in other cultures, reveal a pattern of startling transformation: none of these countries had many "smart" kids a few decades ago. Things had changed. Teaching had become more rigorous; parents had focused on things that mattered; and children had bought into the promise of education.

A journalistic tour de force, The Smartest Kids in the World is a book about building resilience in a new world-as told by the young Americans who have the most at stake.

©2013 Amanda Ripley (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A compelling, instructive account regarding education in America, where the arguments have become 'so nasty, provincial, and redundant that they no longer lead anywhere worth going.'" ( Kirkus)

Worth a listen

This was a good book to listen to at 1.5 or 2x speed. There are legitimate nuggets buried in some overly detailed
stories.

Very interesting!

All parents must read/listen. Rather u agree or not this text is very informative. My wife and I have a 2 and 5 year old. We have read many "how to" books. This is by far more valuable since it provides the "why" and history behind hot topics such as Common Core.

-two Engaged MD parents

Good Information

Finland, South Korean and Poland. Education Superpowers with Rigor and Cultures with High Value on Education as differentiating factors

Revelatory and Thoughtful

A look at how the best school systems worldwide got that way. Riveting and moving.

A lot of Great Info

Any additional comments?

This was quite good. It was very well researched and really opened my eyes the fact that the U.S. education system has pretty much degenerated into mediocrity. Which I can support with own experiences in high school.

Highly recommended to anyone that cares about the future.