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Slovenia Sharpens Academic Prowess

Slovenians have grabbed international attention with extraordinary physical feats. Martin Strel, a long-distance swimmer, has swum the length of the Amazon, Mississippi, Nile, and Yangtze rivers. In 2000, extreme skier Davo Karnicar became famous for being the first person to ski from the summit of Mount Everest to base camp. And Jure Robic won the title for solo men in the Race Across America cycling competition four times in a row.

But now, Slovenians are receiving world recognition for the use of their minds, not just their physical prowess. The Eastern European nation has a strong ranking on international tests—the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, and the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.

“We have motivation to improve ourselves,” said Zvone Zigon, the Republic of Slovenia’s consul general in Cleveland, in explaining why students in his country might be doing well on those tests. “We are a small country. Nobody really knows Slovenia. So we try to show we exist and show we are good. This is back there...