Public education is drowning and we are standing on the shore seemingly unable to provide rescue. It does not have to be this way. This realization led me to this month’s column, focusing on Finland, a country that faced its own economic and educational crisis in the mid-1960s and enacted policies that transformed their economy and their educational system into one of the strongest in the world.
Brief history
Finland recognized that it was in deep trouble in the mid-60s; their economy was shaky, too many of their people were barely educated and the world was changing quickly around them. Their leaders decided to bring dramatic transformation to the country. Their first decision was to recognize that its greatest asset was its people and so they would invest heavily in them. They passed policies that reduced inequality, that made sure that all Finns had access to free or very low-cost health care and social services, and that every child had access to a good education, no matter where they lived. Leaders from municipal government, business, educational administration and the teachers unions agreed that they would cooperate and collaborate for the good of the country.
While I am going to focus on Finland’s education system in this column, I have to begin with a look at their approach to health care.
A very good place to start
The first 1,000 days of life — from conception to age 2 — are critical for a child’s long-term physical health, brain development and cognitive potential. Finland has invested heavily in those earliest days, months and years. There is free prenatal care for all Finns, followed by a no-cost hospital birth. Following the birth there is significant family leave, with each spouse getting approximately 160 days of paid leave. Families receive regular medical care along with nutritional support and whatever social services they might need.
All children aged 0-6 have the right to attend early childhood education if the families choose to send them. There is a mandatory preschool year when the child turns six, the year before they begin their basic education. By the time the child starts basic education at age seven they have had every opportunity to come to school ready and able to learn.
Finnish schooling
Finland moved to a comprehensive nine-year program for all children (peruskoulu) that offers all children the same quality education. Each school has equivalent funding, resources, social service supports, nutritional programs, and teachers who are equally skilled and experienced. There is extensive cooperation within and between schools as all are committed to the mission of serving the country by educating their students.
There is a national curriculum that guides overall instructional goals, with aspirational and conceptual goals rather than a list of facts to learn and spit back on tests. Technical, hands-on education is valued as highly as academic education. The Finnish National Agency for Education describes the national educational goals this way:
“Some of the key goals of the reform include enhancing pupil participation, increasing the meaningfulness of learning and enabling every pupil to feel successful. Children and young people are encouraged to take more responsibility for their schoolwork and are given more support in their studies. The pupils set goals, solve problems and assess their learning based on set targets. The pupils’ experiences, feelings, areas of interest and interaction with others lay the foundation for learning. The teacher’s task is to instruct and guide the pupils into becoming lifelong learners, by taking the individual learning approaches of each pupil into consideration.”
Jakub Bares, from the European Nexus for Strategic Intelligence says:
“Finnish classrooms are laboratories of curiosity, collaboration and creativity. Students engage in inquiry-based exploration, project-driven work and phenomenon-based learning … Knowledge is not simply transmitted but actively constructed by students, with teachers acting as facilitators and guides.”
Teachers
Teaching is a highly valued and well-paid profession in Finland. Only the top 10% of all applicants are accepted into teacher education programs, which are free. All teachers are required to earn a research-based master’s degree. They learn to create their curriculum, design lessons and assess and evaluate their students. They are trusted to do their work without being micromanaged by either administrators or the government, or by high-stakes standardized tests.
There is much sharing and support among teachers. They are mostly assessed by other teachers, and the goal of the assessment is to help them to become better rather than to catch them making mistakes. They are encouraged to take risks, to try new approaches and to learn from them.
There is also an emphasis on early assessment of and intervention with students by special education teachers designed to address learning concerns early so that the great majority of students can have successful educational experiences with no further need of special education support. These early interventions are not rare and there is no stigma attached to them.
Teachers tend to stay in their placements for decades, many for their entire careers. In many schools they stay with students from year to year so that they develop strong relationships with the students, their families and the community.
This sounds too good to be true
While Finland’s education system is extraordinarily successful it is not perfect. In recent years, it has faced similar challenges to what we have experienced here in the U.S. Its government has invested less in education as their economy has slowed, leaving schools with fewer resources to bring to students, particularly those with special needs. Its society is experiencing a rise in inequality. There are more immigrants in Finnish schools, and not all schools have the resources to fully respond to their needs as they learn the culture, language and curriculum. It is experiencing more incidents of racism and bullying.
The government is treating these challenges as a crisis that needs immediate attention and there is a strong push to have the government invest more in funding, to bring in more counselors, special education teachers, and teachers trained to work with immigrant learners. Finland is still ranked within the top educational programs in the world; by comparison the U.S. is rated no better than the 30th best.
Lessons we might learn
There are a few lessons we might take from the approach Finland has taken to its education. Five that stand out to me:
- Finland views its people as its most important resource and invests heavily in their health, well-being and education.
- Finland has invested heavily in eliminating or reducing inequality, in schools and in their economy.
- Finland has created an educational system that is based on respect, on trust and on helping students to become their best selves, as learners, as productive members of their community and as people who find satisfaction and joy in their lives.
- They have identified teachers as the most crucial part of a successful educational program and have made teaching a highly respected and well-paid profession. They attract the highest level of teacher candidates, educate them well and then trust them to do their jobs.
- The government, working with the public, has developed a picture of a graduate, what they want their students to know and be able to do as they complete their schooling, similar to our portrait of a graduate developed by the state of Massachusetts. Finland actually integrates that vision into their curriculum and lessons and uses it to guide their education decision making.
Finland has been able to transform their educational system and economy because they have aligned education, social services, health services and government so that necessary resources and services are where they need to be for all children and families.
Massachusetts is clearly not Finland, but there is much we have in common. We are both relatively wealthy, both value education, and both are responsible for the education of our children. We can ensure that all of our children come to school ready to learn, and that our families and schools have the resources they need. Rejecting the MCAS as a graduation requirement was a good first step. Creating a portrait of a graduate, a vision of what we want for our students was a second. What shall we do next?
Doug Selwyn taught at K-12 public schools from 1985 until 2000 and then at university as a professor of education until he retired in 2017. He is the chair of the Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution education task force. You can reach him at dougselwyn12@gmail.com.