In recent years Finland has had one of the best education systems in the world. Their test scores are routinely amongst the top, often being the highest ranked of the western world. This is astounding when taking into consideration that about a half century ago Finland was hovering around the middle of the pack. The educational reform that took effect brought some great changes to the system that have propelled Finland to be an educational powerhouse. Many elements came together to make this possible. Finland was recognized as a front-runner in education after their exceptional scores on the PISA. PISA stands for Program For International Student Assessment and is given to 15 year olds around the world every three years. They are ranked in
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It details what they found to be necessary in having a high-quality education system and one of those factors is the teachers. In order to give each child the best education, high-quality teachers should be accessible to anyone (2016, page 13). In Anu Partanen’s The Nordic Theory of Everything (2016) she details the extensive process it takes to become a teacher in Finland. To begin with, there are only a handful of teaching colleges in Finland and they are highly selective in their admissions. Once in the program, prospective teachers go through rigorous courses and training before they can enter into the master’s program, a requirement for teaching in Finnish schools no matter the level. They also must complete upwards of seven hundred hours of in-class experience. These all culminate into highly-trained teachers at every school (Partanen, page 133). In addition to this, unlike in the United States where teaching is often seen as an easy profession domineered by people who were unsuccessful at other things, teachers in Finland are not only respected, it is considered a very prestigious position. …show more content…
Where Finland differs is that unlike Eastern countries who put an immense amount of pressure on their students, Finland gives less homework, no standardized tests, and has individualized grading. This does not meant that there is no testing. Each student, after voluntary secondary education have to take the National Matriculation Exam in order to graduate. This test lasts three weeks and about fifty hours, a very rigorous and comprehensive test (Ripley, 2013, p 156). All this contributes to Finland’s success, but a major factor that was the foundation for all these was the idea of equity. The educational reform was not originally created in order to achieve the highest form of success, but instead desired to ensure every child had an equal chance. Partaken in her article “What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success” writes about an interaction that Pasi Sahlberg, an expert on the Finnish education reform, and his presentation on why the system works. One of the biggest shockers was the lack of private schools in Finland. Compared to other systems, specifically the United States, Finland relies less on competition between schools and emphasizes easily- accessible high-quality schools everywhere, schools funded by local and national government that rely on both they own merit and cooperation with others (Partaken, 2011). This is due on part to Finland believing in a
It details what they found to be necessary in having a high-quality education system and one of those factors is the teachers. In order to give each child the best education, high-quality teachers should be accessible to anyone (2016, page 13). In Anu Partanen’s The Nordic Theory of Everything (2016) she details the extensive process it takes to become a teacher in Finland. To begin with, there are only a handful of teaching colleges in Finland and they are highly selective in their admissions. Once in the program, prospective teachers go through rigorous courses and training before they can enter into the master’s program, a requirement for teaching in Finnish schools no matter the level. They also must complete upwards of seven hundred hours of in-class experience. These all culminate into highly-trained teachers at every school (Partanen, page 133). In addition to this, unlike in the United States where teaching is often seen as an easy profession domineered by people who were unsuccessful at other things, teachers in Finland are not only respected, it is considered a very prestigious position. …show more content…
Where Finland differs is that unlike Eastern countries who put an immense amount of pressure on their students, Finland gives less homework, no standardized tests, and has individualized grading. This does not meant that there is no testing. Each student, after voluntary secondary education have to take the National Matriculation Exam in order to graduate. This test lasts three weeks and about fifty hours, a very rigorous and comprehensive test (Ripley, 2013, p 156). All this contributes to Finland’s success, but a major factor that was the foundation for all these was the idea of equity. The educational reform was not originally created in order to achieve the highest form of success, but instead desired to ensure every child had an equal chance. Partaken in her article “What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland’s School Success” writes about an interaction that Pasi Sahlberg, an expert on the Finnish education reform, and his presentation on why the system works. One of the biggest shockers was the lack of private schools in Finland. Compared to other systems, specifically the United States, Finland relies less on competition between schools and emphasizes easily- accessible high-quality schools everywhere, schools funded by local and national government that rely on both they own merit and cooperation with others (Partaken, 2011). This is due on part to Finland believing in a