Keeping Up with the Finns
It may be surprising to know that of all the countries in the world, the nation receiving the most consistent praise and kudos for its educational system is: Finland.
Pasi Sahlberg, who holds the post of Director General of Finland’s Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation (quite a title!), wrote about this phenomenon recently in a thoughtful and thorough editorial in the Washington Post.
How has Finland reached this point of earning worldwide praise and can the United States learn valuable lessons when examining its own system? Teacher training and increasing “teacher effectiveness” has been a large part of Finland’s success, but, Sahlberg cautions, that strategy might not be as transferable as some would like to believe.
While he lauds the standardization by which Finland’s teachers are trained and evaluated, he also notes that “just having better teachers in schools will not automatically improve students’ learning outcomes” in his or any other country. He points to the fact that research shows that “up to two-thirds of what explains student achievement is beyond the control of schools, i.e. family background and motivation to learn.”
And compared to Finland, there are greater discrepancies in the U.S. between students’ readiness and ability to be taught, regardless of the quality of their teachers. Moreover, a far greater percentage of American students are impoverished as compared to their Finnish counterparts.
In this way, Sahlberg is acknowledging some obvious differences between the two nations: Finland is a very small country compared to the U.S. Its six million inhabitants are a fairly homogenous bunch spread out over an area that is roughly equivalent in size to the state of New Mexico, and the country’s government is a “parliamentary representative democratic republic” with a tax rate of 39% (double the U.S.). Clearly, the nation does not face the multiple complex sociological issues with which the United States contends.
Pasi Sahlberg, who holds the post of Director General of Finland’s Centre for International Mobility and Cooperation (quite a title!), wrote about this phenomenon recently in a thoughtful and thorough editorial in the Washington Post.
How has Finland reached this point of earning worldwide praise and can the United States learn valuable lessons when examining its own system? Teacher training and increasing “teacher effectiveness” has been a large part of Finland’s success, but, Sahlberg cautions, that strategy might not be as transferable as some would like to believe.
While he lauds the standardization by which Finland’s teachers are trained and evaluated, he also notes that “just having better teachers in schools will not automatically improve students’ learning outcomes” in his or any other country. He points to the fact that research shows that “up to two-thirds of what explains student achievement is beyond the control of schools, i.e. family background and motivation to learn.”
And compared to Finland, there are greater discrepancies in the U.S. between students’ readiness and ability to be taught, regardless of the quality of their teachers. Moreover, a far greater percentage of American students are impoverished as compared to their Finnish counterparts.
In this way, Sahlberg is acknowledging some obvious differences between the two nations: Finland is a very small country compared to the U.S. Its six million inhabitants are a fairly homogenous bunch spread out over an area that is roughly equivalent in size to the state of New Mexico, and the country’s government is a “parliamentary representative democratic republic” with a tax rate of 39% (double the U.S.). Clearly, the nation does not face the multiple complex sociological issues with which the United States contends.
So what conclusions should American educators draw? Teacher training and respect for the profession (through advanced education and better compensation) do matter. Similarly, strong school leadership and developing a vibrant professional culture, along with a consistently positive regard towards “the role of school in our society” would help us improve the American system. In other words, if school boards continue to make cuts and populations vote down school bonds or other tax increases, we probably get the schools we deserve.
Educational quality does not come by magic. Furthermore, Sahlberg insists, we must de-emphasize the “toxic use of accountability for schools” via standardized tests and “students’ measured achievement”; such measures are typically unfair “because most of the variation of student achievement in standardized tests can be explained by out-of-school factors.” We also know that in schools in which standardized tests become the major gauge of success, teacher autonomy and teacher job satisfaction are greatly reduced.
Educational quality does not come by magic. Furthermore, Sahlberg insists, we must de-emphasize the “toxic use of accountability for schools” via standardized tests and “students’ measured achievement”; such measures are typically unfair “because most of the variation of student achievement in standardized tests can be explained by out-of-school factors.” We also know that in schools in which standardized tests become the major gauge of success, teacher autonomy and teacher job satisfaction are greatly reduced.
Happily, all of these points underscore what we strive to achieve regularly at CA. Our teachers are well educated, well-trained, and consistently challenged to grow professionally. Additionally, I know very well that one of the things CA’s teachers value most--and which energizes them to perform at a high level--is that they have a high degree of autonomy in their curriculum design and execution. They do not have an external threat hanging over their head (“improve test scores or else”), but they do work to perform at a high level to keep up with the expectations of students, parents, and indeed their peers.
Free from the bureaucratic pressures of many public school systems, our teachers can focus on what they truly believe will serve the students they have in class. In turn they are garnered respect and trust and have the good fortune to teach motivated, well-behaved students with supportive parents.
Free from the bureaucratic pressures of many public school systems, our teachers can focus on what they truly believe will serve the students they have in class. In turn they are garnered respect and trust and have the good fortune to teach motivated, well-behaved students with supportive parents.
Source for this article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/05/15/what-if-finlands-great-teachers-taught-in-u-s-schools-not-what-you-think/
Pasi Sahlberg is featured in this YouTube video on Finnish education as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntdYxqRce_s
Or, if you prefer a much sillier view of the country, please look at Monty Python’s “Finland” -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvK4yfFyblE
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