Be Like Finland?

By Jaime Willis

For educators, reformers and wonks, Finland has, in the past several years, become the 'gold standard' of effective public K-12 education.

Finland, a county in the icy north of Europe, has a population of about 5.3 million people, roughly the same population and climate of the State of Minnesota.

In 1971, the government of Finland commissioned a study on their public education that conclude that education was the key to boosting the national economy.  As a result, they instituted several reforms to their current education model: reducing class sizes, boosting teacher pay, and requiring all teachers to complete a rigorous master's program (the last reform was given 8 years of preparation time so the existing work force had time to comply).


What is perhaps more notable than what they chose to do is what they chose NOT to do.  Finland soundly rejected the standardized testing model -- students in Finland are only required to take one standardized exam at the end of their schooling as a college entrance test.  Finnish teachers have a federal curriculum, but use it as a guide for creating their own lesson plans and designing their own course structure.  Finland also doesn't track students (honors/remedial courses) and doesn't have struggling/failing students repeat grades.

The results are pretty impressive.  The 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an exam covering math, science, and reading and given every three years to 15-year-olds around the world showed Finnish students scoring 3rd in the world in reading, 2nd in science, and 6th in math.  The United States, by contrast, was 31st (in a field of 65) in reading and math and 23rd in science.

Since the 1971 reforms, K-12 teaching in Finland has become an esteemed career.  The country's Masters in Education programs are so popular that only 1 student in 9 or 10 is accepted.  The best and brightest, and frequently most passionate educators are saturated throughout the entire public school system, rather than targeted in small pockets of "good" school districts.  As a result, the difference between the "best" and "worst" public schools in Finland is negligible -- all students are doing the same, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or economic status.

So, the question of the hour is how can we in the United States take these research-based reforms that are working so well in a tiny homogenous country in Europe and apply them to a country whose population is almost 60 times greater?

I'd think it be really interesting to have a state serve as an incubator for this model.  Mississippi may be a great test case.  The state has a population of under 3 million, and their students consistently score in the bottom quartile in standardized tests.  Could Mississippi State work with their public universities to create a rigorous master's program? Could the state afford to boost the salary of public educators across the state to entice graduates to stay in Mississippi and teach?  Could the local economy support the infrastructure changes required to reduce class sizes? How differently would Mississippi look 10 years from now if it were able to start making these changes today?

Finland has a bursting high-tech market with companies like Nokia leading the way.  Could Mississippi become the next Silicon Valley?

What challenges do you think any state faces in introducing Finnish education reforms?  Are any states introducing these reforms already and if so, to what effect?

I know I am excited by the idea of breeding a fertile ground for passionate educators and this reform model seems like one great way to do it.

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Research on this post comes, in part, from a great article in The New Republic entitled "Children Must Play." 

High Energy Teaching

-By Jaime Willis

Arne Duncan sparked a lot of interest in the education sector with his remarks at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.  I'd like to excerpt just a few of the suggestions and thoughts he had about teaching today.

We can no longer pretend that all teachers or all principals are from Lake Wobegon where everyone is above average.  It is time to recognize and reward our best teachers, support those in the middle, and also acknowledge that teaching may not be the best career choice for a small minority of teachers who continue to struggle despite support and mentorship.  

Fully half of the people who go into teaching leave within five years.  Lack of support, lack of quality mentoring and meaningful professional development, inadequate respect and compensation -- we know the reasons.  (Click here for full text.)

Teachers are bombarded with negativity on a daily basis -- attitudes from students in their classes, issues with parents, demands from administration, and in-fighting with their peers.  It's no wonder over half the people who enter teaching leave in five years -- no one wants to live like that!

When I think of our current model of teaching, I see almost all Level 1 and Level 2 energy -- teachers are the "victims" of poor pay, draconian administration, and lack support and encouragement; teachers are angry and blame the curriculum, imperfect testing standards, laws that stymie innovation, and lack of funding.  

The teachers who find a way to make a difference have truly learned to step into Level 4 and Level 5 energy -- they want to help others and they are willing to look at *everything* as an opportunity for them to teach their students and build academic success in their classrooms.

I would love to see school districts, administrators, and especially unions really spend their time and energy figuring out how to build schools and faculty that operate consistently on Level 4 and 5.

Steven Brill of the New Yorker recently published an expose of New York City's "rubber room" where teachers spend years earning full pay while their union fights their termination for drunkenness and other negligent behavior.   How cool would it be to see the teacher's unions spending that money instead on providing their own mentoring and professional development program to ensure that new teachers feel supported and encouraged as they build their skills in the classroom?

The part of Arne's speech that was quoted most often in the news yesterday was "Teacher pay should start at $60,000 and grow to $150,000" to draw the best and brightest to the profession.  Money is usually the "easy" solution to any problem, and paying teachers more money would definitely help raise the bar.  However, I believe there is opportunity for teachers to improve their energy as a whole without throwing money at the problem.

What would it look like at your school to feel more supported and encouraged?  When I asked this question of a public charter school faculty last year, they organized themselves into committees and did things throughout the day and week to encourage each other.  One faculty member put notes in each of her colleague's mailbox each morning.  One teacher chose to greet every single person -- administration, faculty, and students, while a smile and a hearty "Good Morning" to start her day.  Teachers worked together to create lesson plans, to brainstorm ways to appropriately handle a challenging student who'd fallen behind, and to have more enjoyment while at work.

If you are a teacher today, you don't have to wait for Congress to enact reform legislation.  You don't have to wait for your administrator to get on board.  You don't have to wait to see a pay raise.  You just have to show up for work (and life) each day treating yourself and others the way you'd like to see the world treated. Operating from a higher energy level will truly improve your outlook on your career and your life!