There has been a flurry of news reports
of late about Finland’s education process and how the country has seemingly
risen from the dark ages to the upper ranks of all PISA rankings. This article
explores the background of where Finland was compared to where it is now, and
how it got there.
Background
Back in the 1960’s Finland began to
mold their education reform. It was in 1963 when the country’s leaders decided
that every child would receive a quality public education.
This was born out of a scarred history
trying to maintain the country’s independence from Russia, Germany, and even
Sweden. But by the 1960’s the wars had settled down and their independence was
solid. But the country was struggling and knew that they needed to restore
their ability to compete globally. Truth be told, the country wanted to ensure
it survived and maintained its independence, thus the driver behind the desire
to be competitive.
Laying
the Groundwork
It was then that lawmakers decided to
simply form the foundation for a comprehensive public school program.
Throughout the nation, teachers contributed to the national curriculum that
served only as guidelines. All students would attend public school from ages 7
to 16. Finnish and Swedish would be taught across all schools and a third
language was required to be taught beginning at age 9. Upper secondary schools
for grades 10 to 12 began to see an improvement because of this shift in making
sure that every child was educated.
Seeing
Results, Ongoing Changes
In 1979 another key change was
instituted in Finland’s education system. All teachers were required to earn a
master’s degree by attending a fifth year of college - at the country’s
expense. Teachers were thus granted a level of respect and status that was
previously afforded to only doctors and lawyers.
Additionally, in the 1980’s the former
strict and structured programs which had been laid out and in place since the
1960’s was relaxed, so to speak. As far as the government was concerned the
control over policies was shifted down to the town councils. The previously
recorded national curriculum was dubbed as simply broad guidelines. As a stark
example the nation’s math goals were reduced to a mere ten pages of guidelines
for grades one through nine. Each child spends grades one to nine with the same
teacher. Each teacher has a special teacher or assistant to help with special
education needs or immigrant language education.
Rising to the Top
Since these latest changes have finally
settled and became the new norm, Finland’s international scores on the PISA
rankings have soared to the top. To be fair, the two or three decades before
control was passed down to the local regions the education system in Finland
was strict and structured, some would even say this is an understatement.
Putting
it in Perspective
To provide a comparison, in the 1960’s
Finland’s education system was certainly in the poor ranking. To move from a
poor ranking to a good one, they spent 20 to 30 years with very tight controls
and strict government guidelines. Only after achieving a system filled with
good practices that has proven it works and provides the country with young
adults ready to help take the country into the next generation, did the country
release control to the local governments. This change then allowed the school
system to go from good to great. And the results on the PISA tests back up this
dynamics. The comparison comes when looking at the Swedish or even the American
school systems which are both performing in the lackluster middle range on the
PISA tests. America is currently in the relatively early or early-mid stages of
their No Child Left Behind mandates. True reform is still elusive. Opponents of
this legislation are pointing to Finland’s current education model as a way to
turn the country’s scores around. However, that may be a short-sighted approach
if you truly look at Finland’s history and how they really got from poor to
great, not just from good to great.
Conclusion
Finland’s education process today is a
robust and effective one. Being able to state that 93 percent of all students
graduate from a vocational or academic high schools is a profound
accomplishment in and of itself. This is very high and something that many
countries are keeping an eye on, exploring how Finland does it. Additionally,
Finland spends quite a bit less per student than, say, the United States does.
They are in range with Singapore, spending approximately $11,000 per student
per year for education.
However, the other pieces of the entire
education system are envious as true reform in whole. Maternity leave in
Finland is provided for three years. Day care is subsidized. Preschool for all
5-year-olds is offered for free. And an unheard of subsidy of 150 euros per
month is provided for each child through age 17. If other countries wish to
turn around their education system, looking at Finland’s entire education
system is an excellent first place to start. Treating educators as the key to a
country’s success is the way to ensure that success.
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