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We hear a great deal about the United States' standings in international comparisons of students' academic performance, yet we hear relatively little about what the highest performing countries have done to ascend the rankings.  Fortunately, Stanford professor and American Association for Colleges for Teacher Education Board member Linda Darling-Hammond has had a gander at both Finland and Singapore, two of the countries topping the international list.

The practices she finds there are not hard to grasp:  Give teachers an excellent education on the government dollar (or Euro), guarantee them substantive, ongoing professional development, and promote ample time for collaboration with colleagues.