'The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way' by Amanda Ripley

[Aaron]

Just finished reading the new book by Amanda Ripley called The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way. The book explores the education systems of 3 countries that perform very well on international tests: South Korea, Finland and Poland (with the aim of helping America find a way out of its education woes). Some very interesting insights here. I've written a full executive summary of the book available here: http://newbooksinbrief.com/2013/09/12...

[David]

Thanks for the recommendation, Aaron. I've put the book on my To Read list, and put a hold at the library :-)

[Leonardo]

I watched a special on television exploring the same topic (and the same three countries) and it was an eye opener. It's amazing how the Finns can do as well as the Koreans with educating their kids, yet still manage to get those results without the brutal "tiger mom" attitude that prevails in South Korea. With that said, I'm not sure that an American has any right to criticize any other country's education system given the state of our own (excepting our elite universities), so I'll shutup now!