Use the book “The Smartest Kids In The World And How They Got That Way” by Amanda Ripley. Only use this book for sources do not use any outside sources.
For your essay, write about problems (at least three) with the American education system using evidence from Ripley’s book.
Then, think about the school systems in Finland, South Korea, and Poland and the differences in their education system.
In your essay, explain how we can change our schools based on these differences in these other countries.
In other words, answer the question: what types of changes should we make based on what we have learned in Ripley’s book to make our high schools better?
TOPICS FROM THE BOOK THAT YOU CAN WRITE ABOUT—Here are some ideas of topics that you can write about. Some of them might be written about together. For instance, you might talk about the idea of rigor and how it applies to how math is taught. You might talk about the expectations of students and how this affects rigor in a classroom.
1. Sports in American schools compared to other countries
2. How do American parents help their children compared to other countries.
3. Teacher training in America compared to other countries
4. Rigor and expectations placed on students
5. Student work ethic
6. How peers affect each other (the peer effect)
7. How math is taught
8. Respect for education and teachers
9. Matriculation tests
10. Sisu/Grit
11. School tracking
