The smartest kids in the world: and how they got that way

In this book Ripley follows three American teenagers who each chose to spend a year living and learning in a different country: Finland, South Korea and Poland. Through their experiences, Ripley explores how attitudes, parenting and rigorous teaching have revolutionised these countries’ education systems.

Part of Finland’s success, according to Ripley, is that they have bright, talented teachers who are well trained and love their jobs.  Pupils are highly motivated and there is a strong pro-education culture. Poland also shares some of these features, while South Korean success is traceable to after school tuition, which plays a vital role in improving pupil outcomes.   

Rigour, high quality teaching, high aspirations and good parental engagement and support are all found to be important to success of these countries.