She is the author, most recently, of “The Smartest Kids in the World–and How They Got That Way,” a New York Times bestseller. Her first book, “The Unthinkable,” was published in 15 countries and turned into a PBS documentary. For Time and The Atlantic, she has written cover stories on the primacy of sports in American high schools, the science of motivating children and the first year of Starbucks’ new college-completion experiment. She has visited schools on four continents and interviewed hundreds of kids, teachers and parents. Ripley’s work has also appeared in Slate, The Wall Street Journal and the Times of London. Her work has helped Time Magazine win two National Magazine Awards. She graduated from Cornell University and currently lives in Washington, D.C., where she is an Emerson senior fellow.