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Parents' Guide to

The Smartest Kids in the World

By Sabrina McFarland, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

U.S. teens test their skills abroad in school debate docu.

Movie NR 2021 98 minutes
The Smartest Kids in the World Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 10+

Amazing insight

We watched this documentary and loved every minute. This should be mandatory viewing for every teacher and parent!!!

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Great messages

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

One instructive lesson learned from this must-see documentary is to have a discussion with teens about their high school education. Ask what they believe might motivate them to remain engaged in school. "I started realizing that in most education debates there were no students at all," says Amanda Ripley in The Smartest Kids in the World and author of the book based on the film. "It was about adults. There are millions of experts on education who are never in the room when decisions get made and those people are kids." And notes 17-year-old Simone Bey from the Bronx, New York, who studied in Korea, "I've come to realize that it's not always about a student not caring or a student not showing interest. But, sometimes where you are, where you go to school, where you live can greatly affect your education."

Movie Details

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