The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way

I learned some excellent information about how school works in Poland, Finland, and South Korea. The author writes with a clear bias - she hates sports and finds them a detraction on the American school system, and she crucifies people who don't fit her viewpoint as chimeric. That being said, it seems she does hit some important bullet points that need to go into effect for schools to improve:

a. better training for teachers (much better)
b. a societal commitment to the importance of education
c. reasonable and effective standardized testing

These bullets may seem obvious, but if you look around at American education, we are not close to achieving any of these.