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An eye-opening firsthand exploration of why Asian students are outpacing their American counterparts, and how to help our children excel in today’s competitive world.

When Teru Clavel had young children, the oldest barely two, she watched as her friends and fellow parents vied to secure a spot in the right New York City preschools. Following a gut feeling that a truly world-class education involves more than the privilege and ennui of elite private schools, Teru and her family moved to Asia, embarking on a ten-year-long journey through the public schools of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

During this time, Teru discovered firsthand why students in China and Japan are far outpacing their American counterparts. In Hong Kong, her children’s school was nicknamed The Prison for its foreboding, austere facilities, yet her three-year-old loved his teachers and his nightly homework. In Shanghai, in a school without flush toilets, the students were kept late not out of punishment but to master the day’s lesson. In Tokyo, her children and their classmates were responsible for school chores, like preparing and serving school lunches—lunches that featured grilled fish, stewed vegetables, and miso soup, not hot dogs and french fries.

These schools were low-tech and bare-bones, with teachers who demanded obedience and order. Yet Teru was shocked to discover that her children thrived in these foreign and academically competitive cultures; they learned to be independent, self-confident, and resilient, and, above all, they developed a deep and abiding love of learning. The true culture shock came when Teru returned to the States and found their top-rated California school woefully ill-prepared to challenge her children. Her kids were passing, but the schools were failing them.

In this revelatory book, Teru shares what she learned during her decade in Asia, providing practical tips and takeaways to bring the best of Asia’s education and parenting philosophies into American homes and schools. Written with warmth and humor, World Class is an insightful guide to set your children on a path towards lifelong learning and success.

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About the Author:

Teru Clavel is a comparative education expert, bestselling author, and speaker who has shared her insights on education and globalization on Fareed Zakaria’s GPS, The TODAY Show, CBS This Morning, CNBC’s Squawk Box, and Channel NewsAsia. She has written columns for and has been featured and cited in the Times of London, The Chicago Tribune, The Japan Times, Financial Times, the Washington Post and numerous other publications. Her book, World Class: One Mother’s Journey Halfway Around the Globe in Search of the Best Education for Her Children (Simon & Schuster imprint Atria, 2019), chronicles her experience over a decade raising her children in the local public schools of Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Palo Alto. Written with research, personal anecdote and takeaway, World Class offers real-world solutions to the toughest education dilemmas we face here and abroad. She has been heard on over 2,500 radio stations including WGN in Chicago and KABC in Los Angeles and on top podcasts like Mom Brain with Hilaria Baldwin and Daphne Oz. Teru is a sought-after speaker, often conducting workshops and lectures with corporations, schools, and private clubs about how to raise kids to thrive and be global-minded leaders. Teru earned degrees in Global and International Education as well as Asian Studies. While living abroad, she was an education journalist and college consultant. Teru recently returned with her family to her hometown, New York City.