The Smartest Kids in the World
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curiosity, 28, 38, 66, 82
CyWorld, 54
democracies, 25, 161
Denmark, 107, 122, 193, 275n
DePaul University, 54, 187–88
depression, 113, 151–53, 283n
DeVry, 184
Diamond Bridge, 48
diesel mechanics, 142–43
difference, 117–18, 151–68
difficulty, AFS survey and, 225–27, 225
diligence, 107, 121–22
disobedience, 113
diversity, 4, 6, 17, 91, 158–61, 163, 165, 166, 167, 218
see also immigrants; minorities; race
divorce, 39, 62, 153
drive, 104–23
differences in, 117–18, 120–21
in Finland, 154, 155–56
of Korean students, 64, 105, 192
in Poland, 137, 146
in U.S., 143, 160, 183, 192
Duckworth, Angela Lee, 279n
Duke University, summer camp of, 32, 39
Duke University 7th Grade Talent Search, 29
Duncan, Arne, 18, 259n
dysfunctional families, 36
early childhood programs, 78, 217
Eastern Europe, 69, 128
see also Poland
eBay, 41–42
Economic, Social, and Cultural Status Index (ESCS), 255n–56n, 280n
economic competitiveness, 24, 141, 186, 194
economic growth:
in Korea, 59, 60
PISA sores and, 24
Economist, 6
economy, 4, 42, 92, 141, 194
of Finland, 90
of Oklahoma, 43
PISA and, 258n
of Poland, 130
of Sallisaw, 26–27
education:
international comparisons of, see PISA
mystery about, 1–9
national performance-level changes in, 3
spending on, 4, 6–7, 17–18, 24, 33, 35, 60, 64, 65, 70, 85, 90, 107, 110, 136, 139, 140, 141, 146, 160, 165, 166, 170, 174, 175, 184, 260n–61n, 264n, 281n
world-class, 207–18
Education Department, U.S., 256n, 262n, 285n
eighth grade, 74, 77, 120, 172
Eldridge, Roger G., Jr., 92
elementary schools, 4, 73, 100, 109, 135, 231, 277n
in Finland vs. U.S., 140
teachers in, 62–63, 88, 91, 268n
tracking in, 138, 139
Elina (Finnish exchange student), ix, 99–101, 275n
empathy, 120, 162, 165
endurance, 111
English, 37, 40, 106, 115, 138, 143, 157, 169, 172, 180, 189
equity, 140, 143, 146, 160, 164, 174, 183
Eric (American exchange student), x, 8, 77, 178–81
adaptation style of, 66
boredom of, 76
in Busan, 46–58, 46, 64, 65–66, 72, 73, 75–76, 104–6, 114–16, 118, 120–21, 178–79, 191, 214
celebrity status of, 50, 51, 104
curiosity of, 66
first class day of, 51–56, 64, 75–76
first visit to Namsan of, 49–51
homecoming of, 180–81, 187–88, 194
in International Bacclaureate Diploma Programme, 47, 49, 54
isolation and loneliness of, 66
math skills of, 72, 73, 75–76
at Minnetonka High School, 47, 51–52
sexuality of, 49, 66
Estonia, 71, 159, 198
ethnicity, 2, 113, 161, 168
evolution, 40, 265n
exchange students, 38–39, 278n
author’s survey of, see AFS, student experience survey
homecoming of, 180–99
see also Eric; Kim; Tom
exercise, 118
expectations, 36, 64, 66, 76, 105, 162
for African-Americans, 159
in Poland, 132, 137, 147
in U.S., 100–101, 142, 159, 190, 218
extracurricular activities:
parental involvement and, 107–10, 213, 275n–76n
see also sports
Facebook, 44, 54, 58, 144
failure, 72, 117, 118, 128, 136, 174, 186, 192, 199, 213
Fairfax, Va., 198
families, 141
Chinese, 58
dysfunctional, 36
host, 46–49, 102–3, 106, 128
Korean, 60, 64–65, 141, 285n
low-income, 159, 160
see also parents, parenting
Farmer, Scott, ix, 34–35, 36
feedback loop, 118
Ferguson, Ronald, 210, 289n
Finland, 2, 6–9, 22–25, 39–45, 47, 73, 141, 151–58, 151, 193, 199, 222
afterschool lessons in, 65
author’s visit to, 25, 119, 154–55, 158–68, 191, 277n
Education Ministry in, 15
education philosophy and reform in, 88–90, 273n
education spending in, 65, 139, 140
end-of-school tests in, 185, 263n, 287n–88n
foreigners in, 161–64, 167
history of, 82, 88–90, 139, 273n
homogeneity of, 158, 161
Kim in, see Kim, in Finland
Kim’s fundraising for exchange year in, 26, 41–45, 152
Kim’s selection of, 39–41
Korea compared with, 65, 155, 175, 266n, 268n, 277n
local autonomy in, 90, 273n
New Hampshire compared with, 40, 265n
performance-level changes in, 3
PISA in, 15–18, 22, 23, 24, 65, 70, 122, 161, 198, 256n
Poland compared with, 127, 133, 139, 147
poverty in, 71, 193, 257n
school inspectors in, 88, 90
special education in, 164, 284n–85n
sports in, 119, 278n
stoner kids in, 83–84, 193
teachers in, see teachers, Finnish
teacher training in, 84–88, 93, 95, 96–97, 268n, 271n, 273n
tracking in, 139–40
trust in, 24, 92, 97, 273n
unions in, 84, 85, 90, 166, 271n
U.S. compared with, see United States, Finland compared with
utopia model of, 24, 81–103, 270n–75n
vocational schools in, 167, 270n–71n
Finnish language, 82–83, 84, 87, 103, 168
Finnish literature, 82, 86
food, 102, 144
free or low-cost lunch, 256n–57n
in Korea, 53–54, 56, 65–66
football, 41, 87, 93, 142, 143, 145, 191, 212
foreign languages, learning of, 77–78
fourth graders, 73, 77, 164–65, 217
France, 4, 39, 114, 122, 160, 231, 265n, 275n
performance-level changes in, 3
freedom, 113, 117, 133, 145, 153, 183, 193
in Finland, 97–98, 102
parental restrictions on, 227–28, 227
Gates Foundation, 210, 220, 266n, 289n
Gazeta Wyborcza, 133–34
GDP, 24, 60, 257n
geometry, 70, 74–77, 143, 183
Germany, 13–14, 47, 124–25, 222, 266n, 274n
performance-level changes in, 3
PISA test and, 15, 109, 160, 255n, 275n
teachers in, 157
tracking in, 138–39
Gettysburg, Pa., 68–69, 72, 138, 187
Gettysburg College, 141
Gettysburg High School, 138, 140–44, 147, 189, 214, 282n
ghetto effect, 138
“gifted,” use of term, 138
gifted and talented programs, 138, 217
Gintis, Herbert, 278n
Gist, Deborah, ix, 90–92, 218
Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment, 266n
Globally Challenged (report), 262n
Gniezno, 134
Gove, Michael, 18
Grapes of Wrath, The (Steinbeck), 26
Great Depression, 26, 27, 34
Greece, 16
grit, 154
see also persistence
h
agwons (Korean private tutoring academies), 56, 57, 60, 62, 65, 66, 105, 168–78, 169, 185
Andrew Kim and, 168–71, 169
Jenny in, 172–74
opposition to, 174–76
study police and, 176–78
Halinen, Irmeli, 273n
Hamburg, University of, 13–14
Handke, Mirosław, x, 130–34, 137, 147
Hanushek, Eric, 3, 255n
Heckman, James, 278n–79n
Helsingin Sanomat, 167–68
Helsinki, 15, 44, 151, 153, 161, 167
Highest (hagwon), 174
high schools, 14, 168, 182, 189–90, 260n
dropping out of, 5, 7, 24, 30, 61, 142, 181, 267n, 270n–71n
in Finland, 81–84, 97–98, 117, 167, 191, 214, 270n–71n
graduation rate from, 5, 7, 36, 49, 136, 257n
graduation tests and, 33, 34, 54–55, 96, 117, 119, 146, 155–58, 185–86, 263n, 283n, 287n–88n
in Korea, 49–57, 59, 60–61, 63, 66, 178–79, 189, 191, 214
in Minnesota, 47, 51–52, 53, 60–61, 188
Polish, 129, 131, 135, 136, 144–46, 191, 214
virtual, 154–55, 183–85
Hispanics, 113, 132, 159–60, 218
history class, 47, 100, 184
homework, 39, 102, 106, 114, 117, 196, 197
homogeneity, 158–61
see also difference; diversity; race
homosexuality, 49, 66
Hong Kong, 71, 255n, 260n, 269n, 275n
how to find a world-class school, 207–18
humility, 277n
Hungary, 70, 265n, 275n
immigrants, 17, 101, 110, 158, 159–60, 165, 167
income, 17, 70, 139, 141, 159, 162, 181, 218
educational success and, 255n, 256n
happiness and, 193
math skills and, 16
parental involvement and, 107, 110, 111
personality and, 278n
PISA and, 255n, 257n
in Sallisaw, 35, 95, 264n
of teachers, 61, 64, 133, 147, 166, 169, 170, 172, 195–96, 267n–68n, 286n
inequality, 138, 163
intelligence, 111–12, 120
International Bacclaureate Diploma Programme, 47, 49, 54, 139
international tests, 4, 7, 14–25, 39
non-PISA, 121, 258n
see also PISA
Ireland, 184
Iron Child competition, 58–61, 65, 285n
Israel, 140
Italy, 39, 121, 222, 275n
performance-level changes in, 3
Japan, Japanese, 3, 4, 52, 73, 122, 139, 155, 158, 265n
performance-level changes in, 3
unions in, 271n
U.S. compared with, 262n
Jenny (Korean student), x, 8, 104–6, 104, 118, 191
in hagwon, 172–74
in New Jersey, 189–90
Ji (Korean teenager), 61–62
jobs, 102, 120, 131, 143, 147, 181, 182, 257n, 282n
challenge of filling, 5, 182–83
stress from, 68
Jordon, Dwan, 211
junior high schools, Polish, 131, 132, 133, 134, 137, 280n
Jyväskylä, University of, 84–85, 86, 271n
Kate (Kim’s sister), 38, 152
Kern, Sally, 194
Khan, Salman, 270n
Kim, Andrew, x, 169–71, 169, 174, 286n
Kim, Stephen, 268n–69n
Kim (American exchange student), x, 8, 26–45, 77, 93, 141
AFS interview of, 43, 44
afterschool activities of, 101–3
attitude of, 30
blog posts of, 43–44, 283n
curiosity of, 28, 38, 82
in decision to become exchange student, 38–39
depression of, 151–53, 283n
differences noticed by, 102, 117, 120–21
Duke summer camp and, 32, 39
Eric compared with, 47
in Finland, 81–84, 81, 90, 97–99, 101–3, 117, 119, 120–21, 151–55, 158, 167, 183, 191, 214
fundraising of, 26, 41–45, 152
grandparents of, 42–45
homecoming of, 180–81, 183–86, 194
math dreaded by, 30, 41, 77, 78, 262n
rat experiments opposed by, 28–29
SAT of, 29–32, 262n
scholarships won by, 44
state test and, 27, 261n
Texas visit of, 37–38
virtual high school decision of, 154–55, 183–85
Kimball Elementary School, 2
Kim Song-ah, 285n
kindergarten, 118, 192, 217
Korea, see South Korea
Korea Electric Power Corp., 114–15
Korean language, 47, 59, 66, 115
Korea Times, 62, 285n
Krystek (Polish teenager), 129
Kwon, Hyunsoo, 285n
Lavinia, Arin, 218
Lawrence, Marie, 220, 258n
leadership, 118, 147, 194, 199, 216
learning, 108, 109, 111, 116, 137, 139, 163, 192, 193, 195
disparities in, 2
Finnish students’ seriousness about, 84, 270n–71n
world-class education and, 208, 213, 218
Lee Chae-yun, x, 171–72
Lee Ju-ho, x, 58–60, 62–65, 268n
Lemov, Doug, 113
length:
of school day, 55–57, 264n
of school year, 56
libraries, 60, 102, 177–78, 276n
literacy tests, 33, 135, 136
Literatka, 128
loans, student, 37, 85
logic, math as language of, 70, 72
Los Angeles survey, 286n
LO XIII, 129, 144–46
“love sticks,”52, 53, 266n
lunch, free or low-cost, 256n–57n
Luxembourg, 24
Luxembourg Income Study, 279
lying, 61, 62
Macao, 255n, 275n
McDonald’s, 43, 182
McPeak, Jerry, 185
Manpower, 5
Marshall, Paula, x, 181–83, 287n
Martens, Ernie, ix, 35–36
Massachusetts, 73, 269n
master’s degree, 86, 88, 272n
math, 4, 33, 37, 59, 67–78, 88, 113, 120, 143, 157, 182, 183, 192, 212
AFS survey and, 231–32, 236–37
college, 71
college-readiness benchmark in, 269n–70n
critical thinking in, 1, 4, 15
future predicted by skill in, 70
Kim’s dread of, 30, 41, 77, 78, 262n
in Korea, 62–63, 64
as language of logic, 70, 71
in Minnesota, 47, 72–73, 75
in Oklahoma, 27, 93–95, 261n
in Poland, 67–68, 128, 159
teachers of, see teachers, math
tests of, 16, 20–21, 21, 24, 27, 31, 47, 62–63, 70–73, 76, 95, 99–100, 112, 122, 123, 132, 135, 136, 159, 165, 180, 198, 255n, 261n, 281n
Tom’s difficulties with, 67–68, 69, 71, 72, 77, 78
U.S. deficiency in, 65, 69–78
May, Henry, 121–22
Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) Project, 220, 289n
Megastudy, 169, 170, 174
Memphis, Tenn., 266n, 267n
meritocracy, 60, 175
metamorphosis, 24, 124–27
Mexico, 23
middle schools, 30, 59, 62, 69, 118, 217
Miliband, Ed, 193
Minnesota, 46, 47, 51–52, 188
graduation test in, 55
Korea compared with, 47, 60–61, 73, 116, 267n
math proficiency in, 72–73, 75
Oklahoma compared with, 47
Minnesota Department of Education, 267n
Minnetonka, Minn., 46, 47, 51–52
Minnetonka High School, 47, 51–52, 53, 60–61, 267n
minorities, 139, 158, 162–63
teacher training and, 91, 92, 273n–74n
see also diversity
Mission
Impossible (Moskowitz and Lavinia), 218
Moskowitz, Eva, 218
motivation, 33, 60, 86, 96, 98–99, 100, 120, 121, 166, 263n
music, 72, 128, 142
Myungin Academy, 171
Namsan, 49–57, 60–61, 66, 115, 189
cafeteria at, 53–54, 56
dropout rate for, 61, 267n
Eric’s first class day at, 51–56, 64, 75–76
Eric’s first visit to, 49–51
sleeping at, 52–53
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 261n, 262n, 282n
National Council on Teacher Quality, 143
Native Americans, 27
Nazis, 124–25, 126
Netherlands, performance-level changes in, 3
New Hampshire, 40, 265n
New Jersey, 106, 189–90
Newsweek, 47
New York, N.Y., 5, 217–18
New York State, 159
New York State Regents exam, 156–57, 283n
New Zealand, 4, 107, 109, 159, 193, 265n, 275n
performance-level changes in, 3
Nintendo DS, 106
No Child Left Behind, 17, 132, 136, 194, 226
Finland’s version of, 88–89
Northeastern State University, 87–88, 93, 272n, 274n
Norway, 2–3, 6–7, 93, 139, 258n, 272n
performance-level changes in, 3
teacher training in, 85–86
Obama, Barack, 42, 66, 194
on Korea, 7, 58, 258n
obesity, 118, 190
OECD, see Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Oklahoma, 5, 26–45, 181–86, 261n–65n
Common Core in, 194
economy of, 43
education spending in, 33, 141, 262n, 263n
end-of-school tests in, 33, 185–86, 263n, 287n–88n
Finland compared with, 83–84, 98, 119
lack of rigor in curriculum of, 40
Marshall in, 181–82
Minnesota compared with, 47
school-improvement attempts of, 33–34
state test in, 27, 261n
stoner kids in, 83, 193
teacher training in, 87–88, 93–95
world ranking of, 27, 262n
Oklahoma City, 29–31, 184
Oklahoman, 185
Oklahoma School Board Association, 34
Oklahoma State Department of Education, 262n
Oklahoma Virtual High School, 155, 183–85
Oman, 94
online learning, 56, 155, 170, 183–85
see also technology; virtual high school
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 15, 18, 255n–59n, 263n, 271n, 275n, 277n–80n
Päärnilä, Ossi, 271n
Paige, Rod, 17
parents, parenting, 6, 7, 9, 17–18, 25, 76, 118, 191
advice for, in search for schools, 207–18
American, 107–13, 117, 163, 187, 192, 196, 276n
education of, 4, 109, 110, 112
Finnish, 24, 86, 97, 113, 116, 166–68, 276n–77n
geography of, 106–14, 275n–78n
in Gettysburg, 141–42, 143
income of, 17, 159