The Smartest Kids In The World: And How They Got That Way

“The real mystery was this: Why were some kids learning so much—and others so very little?”

This quote encapsulates the book’s central investigative question—What Defines a Quality Education. It uses contrast as a rhetorical device to highlight the disparities in global education outcomes. The simplicity of the language brings full attention to the enormity of the issue that children in similar global conditions are receiving vastly different results from their educational systems. It also conveys Ripley’s journalistic curiosity and objectivity that runs throughout the narrative.

“What I did see were whole generations of kids getting the kind of education all children deserve. They didn’t always get it gracefully, but they got it.”

Ripley reflects on the results of her research abroad, using plain language to describe a profound truth. She argues that equitable education is possible and already happening elsewhere, but not in the United States. Her tone conveys a sense of subtle amazement, which works rhetorically to encourage the reader to consider what’s holding the United States back. The quote acknowledges the challenges of reform as well as the importance of rigor. The quote creates a full arc in the book, which both begins and ends with a message of hope for a better future.