The Smartest Kids in the World

And How They Got That Way

By: Amanda Ripley

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

A clear look at education

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A must read for parents of young children. This book cuts through the education and learning hype.

Any additional comments?

The book examines the pros and cons of four educational systems Korea, Finland, Poland and the United States and comes up with some interesting observations and recommendations.

Easy Read with Some Valuable "Lessons"

Any additional comments?

Sorry about the bad pun :-)

I got this book on sale, with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. I inhaled it in two days since it was such an enjoyable listen.

The book's points are largely made through the narrative of a few case studies where American students attend schools in other countries. The author does still back everything up with statistics from scientific studies, but the use of the experiences of these young people makes the book more engaging and memorable.

It appealed to me as a parent and as someone who has experienced living in more than one country. I am fascinated by the differences between cultures and I got to indulge that fascination here.

I definitely think it has some important points to make regarding the seriousness or "rigor" required for successful education, especially with respect to having high standards for people wanting to get in to the profession of teaching and subsequently giving them the respect (and pay) they deserve. I have heard this concept tossed around in the political debate, but it gained more credibility with me after this book.

Light read/listen with some valuable points made. Recommended.

great book!

Interesting to learn about the education systems in Poland, Finland and South Korea through the eyes of American exchange students.

Terrible narration -- Content is OK but not great

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The author is reluctant to summarize, the biggest deficiency in the book. She conveys most ideas through the stories and case studies of foreign exchange students who travelled from America to Finland, Poland, and South Korea -- three countries whose students had high scores on international tests. For me, the biggest takeaways are:
(1) US students do not score well; the US ranks 27th, so many other countries score significantly better in terms of high school education, Finland ranks highest. Finland's education does not cost more than the US's, and students do not require a ton more study time either (in sharp contrast to South Korea). Their success is grounded in extremely high quality teachers, and in the fact that most every student seems to take their education seriously.
(2) teacher quality is way more important than facilities, technology, or class size (except class size may matter in the very early grades), and the US system is weak in terms of teacher quality. US teacher training programs are not selective, and we end up training a huge number of teachers relative to the small number of open teaching positions. Increasing the entrance requirement for teaching programs would improve candidates, so the programs could be more rigorous and beneficial, and reduce the oversupply of teachers at the same time.
(3) the majority of US students do not go through a rigorous high school program -- we do not challenge students, and students do not take their high school education seriously. This is a problem with teachers, schools, families, and culture in general. A high school diploma does not mean much.
(4) The most effective parents (in terms of securing a rigorous education for their kids) act as academic coaches for their kids. They may not volunteer to help with the school bake sale, they may not participate in the PTA, but they are working with their younger kids day-in-day-out on reading, math, and other subjects. As children get older, they get their kids to develop independence, working mostly on their own, but parents continue to maintain an active interest in how their kids progress.

Would you be willing to try another one of Kate Reading’s performances?

No -- Kate did a terrible job on this book. My wife and I were reading and listening to this together, but my wife had no stomach for Kate's reading and eventually stopped listening. Kate Reading finishes sentences with a slightly arrogant lilt, as if she is saying "most of you will probably not understand this point, but I suppose I have to read it to you anyway". Kate might be better suited to narrating a book entitled "Self Improvement for Dummies".

Was The Smartest Kids in the World worth the listening time?

For me, the answer is a borderline "yes". Would have been better either reading the book, or listening to a computer voice reading it in the car.

Honest, Inspiring, Vitally Important Material

Narration: Very well done- Clear, Concise tone & pace
Content: No holds barred look at 4 education models from around the world. No longer can "under resourced" or "poverty" be used-- with a straight face anyway--as an excuse for poorly performing US schools.

As an educator, I was chagrined many times reading this, thinking of numerous ways I'd succumbed to being "flexible" or "understanding" or lowered expectations in the face of my students' many challenges. This book brought into clear relief the core element students need: high expectations by teachers, parents and society at large. Small class size, more technology, emotionally intelligence while each are relevant, they obfuscate the core issues that have to be faced-- and as a teacher and parent this book has validated some of my practices, made me ashamed about others, but mostly has given me confidence to act on this information right away.

My only criticism is that for me there were moments of occasional fluff, beginning to go inconsistently deeper into her student case study's lives than needed. However, she made each person very real and I could easily identify with each of them, helping make the educational data imparted more easily digested and seem more valid.

Great comparison of various education system

I don't get to evaluate the many education systems in the world so this book gave a great look into this topic. I have now new found respect for educators, as well as education leaders. I also learned to appreciate the pros and cons of the education system of my hometown.

Most importantly, I have a better idea of what selection criteria I should look into when evaluating my children's schools.

Understand Edu issues

Great book to read when you are entering the Edu system! Both parents and children !

A Roadmap for Improving American Education

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who values education. Of course, the problem, as Ripley points out, is that education is undervalued in American society. So the people who need to read this book the most probably never will. Even so, I do in fact recommend this book to everyone and anyone when the topic of education arises in conversation.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Amanda Ripley manages to balance broad, general, larger-than-life issues like standardized testing and diversity in education with very intimate stories about students and educators. In fact, the very personal stories of the three students she follows during the course of the book serve to illustrate and bring into focus those larger themes. It's very important that Ripley strikes this balance, because she's taking on some sacred cows of the American educational system, namely sports and technology in school. Because she lets the people in her narrative speak for themselves, though, the book comes off as less didactic than it otherwise might.

What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?

I listen to a lot of fantasy and science fiction audiobooks, and, I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Kate Reading's narration in that genre. I find it bland and lacking in that adventurous spark intrinsic to the books she's tapped to narrate.

However, she's an absolutely perfect narrator for a work of non-fiction like this one. She infuses her narration with enough emotion to make the students, parents, and teachers in Ripley's narrative feel alive, but not so much that it overpowers the intellectual themes and ideas that the author is trying to convey. Reading also nails the wide range of accents featured in the book, from mellifluous Finnish to sparse Korean.

If you could give The Smartest Kids in the World a new subtitle, what would it be?

And How They Got That Way

Any additional comments?

As an aspiring professor, I realize I'm incredibly biased, but I think The Smartest Kids in the World just might be the most important book you read this year. When politicians lament our foundering education system, they point to the decline of American test scores in math and science, areas that are increasingly important in today's global economy. While Ripley certainly mentions this too, she points to a much more pervasive and far-reaching problem: most Americans don't value education.

Sure, parents are involved in schools, but, Ripley argues, it's usually only to make brownies for the annual bake sale. And when university is mentioned, most people immediately think of their favorite NCAA sports team. The real skills needed to succeed and lead in the 21st century--creativity, innovation, lateral thinking--can only truly be learned by students who are fully invested in the learning process, and who have a support system robust enough to keep them on track.

True, the book doesn't outline any cut-and-dried solutions, if there are any. But I think she does accurately frame the problem, which serves as an excellent starting point for much-needed difficult discussions on where our priorities lie.

Curiously interesting

Rich in information for todays parent world, where we need to know how best to prepare our kids for this shifting, competitive and strict world!

Ridiculously informative...

A must read for parents trying to navigate the education system. Would recommend to everyone.