By Kathleen Mazor, EdD, MS
Contributing Writer

Whether and how leaders and educators in the United States and other countries might identify, learn from, adapt and implement the most successful educational practices identified in case studies and in the literature is an open question. The issues facing the American education system, and surely those of other countries as well, are highly complex and intertwined with deep-rooted political, economic and social policies and conditions. Efforts to reform and improve education must take a long view lest we create a system that entrenches these issues even more deeply.

Many people consider Finland to be a model system of national public education. In Finland, education is considered a basic human right, and all schools at all levels are publicly funded and tuition-free. Teaching is a highly selective, respected, well-paid profession. Finnish teachers have the equivalent of a master’s degree and enjoy a great deal of autonomy and professional collaboration. A truly “whole student” curriculum is driven by a “whatever works” attitude. Responsibility is emphasized over accountability for teachers and principals—educators take responsibility for their students’ learning. Says Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education, “There’s no word for accountability in Finnish… Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted.”

Educational testing in Finland consists primarily of teacher-made classroom assessments. Finnish students do not take standardized tests until they complete high school. Although Finland ranks above average on the PISA international tests, high test scores are not a goal or a primary concern of Finnish educators. Instead, they consider test scores as one—but not the sole—signal of their system’s effectiveness. Finland undertook an extensive, iterative process of educational reform and adaptation over a period of years, which led to the current system. While Finland’s history and culture are unique, education leaders, teachers and scholars may benefit from studying the Finnish model.

Many educators have a healthy skepticism of continuous calls for drastic reform that lead to what Zhao calls “the perpetual wars and pendulum swings” that can hurt children and hinder real progress. The US education system, he says, “seems to be able to cultivate more creative entrepreneurial individuals but fails to teach the basics to a large group of children. Does this suggest that certain educational practices can be effective in achieving certain goals but can hamper the realization of other, equally important goals?” In other words, there is no silver bullet or single right answer.

In the meantime, Robinson, Delpit, Moses, Zhao, and many others provide myriad examples of how dedicated teachers can provide remarkable education experiences, in spite of the pressure of standardization and lack of resources. Says Robinson, “Opportunities for change exist within every school, even where the emphasis on high-stakes testing has become extreme.” The internet has changed the world of education for both students and teachers. For example, Khan Academy provides free access to high quality instruction which students can access directly, and teachers can use to supplement or support classroom instruction. Websites such as Edutopia provide resources for teachers, including both evidence-based and teacher-tested strategies for instruction and classroom management.