What is high school like around the world? A new film lets students investigate

The documentary The Smartest Kids in the World follows four frustrated American students as they explore different high schools abroad

Sadie, a 16-year-old high school junior in Harpswell, Maine, felt off-kilter in her American high school - too much memorization, not enough relevance to hands-on work in prospective careers. I know it doesn't have to be like this," she says of her school days in The Smartest Kids in the World, a new documentary on international educational systems. Brittany, a junior outside Orlando, Florida, spends hours on homework but finds her curiosity unchallenged. I kinda just wonder ... what are we doing?" she muses. Jaxon, 16, from the small town of Saratoga in south-eastern Wyoming, finds himself torn between wrestling practice and sleeping two extra hours before his ACT, where one point marks the difference between free college tuition and $30,000 a year. It's only my life," he shakes his head, practically, everything in it."

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