Finland Education System

Why do you think Finland out-performed so many developed countries with such equitable and non-consequential guiding notion? Is there any ideas or rationale behind that speak to you? As an educational leader, what elements could and should our society adopt from Finland to improve our educational programs?

    As a well-fare state, Finland strives for equitable opportunities for all of its people, regardless of superficial qualities, such as socioeconomic status. Finland does not separate its education system from its democratic ideals, and this has shown a great payoff for its people. In a true democracy, opportunity and fairness should be available to all people, and this should include the education sector. Education is vital for a democracy in that an educated populace will be more likely to vote for good policies. They will also be able to weed out bad ideas and inaccurate information from unreliable sources. A democracy cannot be healthy if only the wealthy and elite thinkers can get a quality education. Finland seems to understand this very well, and they strive for an educated populous by enacting several admirable policies. 

    The first policy that stands out to me is that Finland has a strong special education program, in which learning differences and behavioral issues are noticed and dealt with as early as possible. After a student is identified as needing support, they usually remain in the mainstream classroom but are provided with the support they need to succeed. This support comes in the form of personalized and individualized student success plans. By keeping the students in the mainstream classroom, the students are not isolated from their peers. Instead, they are still able to interact and collaborate with others, which should be beneficial to all students involved. The growth of special education resources is absolutely something that the US and other countries should participate in. I imagine that a big reason that such a program is so rare is due to financial concerns. To give each special education student their personalized plan would take a lot of time and resources. Even with the financial strain of a program like this, the benefits would be worthwhile. 

    Another interesting attribute of the Finnish education system is that they do not use ability grouping in classes. Each student, regardless of their previous academic standing, studies the same syllabi and courses. If struggling students get the support they need to succeed from a strong special education team, keeping all students together would be a great choice. Whether they are in special education or not, all students have insights and perspectives that they have the right to share with others. To deny students the opportunity to hear and share their experiences with others because of their academic standing would be unethical. This is another practice that should be taken in by other nations. The fact that most other countries do not do this is probably related to their special education policies. If a special education student is in the mainstream class but does not receive the extra support and differentiation that they need, they could become discouraged and distracting to others. Again, I imagine this is a financial concern to many school districts who ignore the investment that education should be. 

    Finally, Finland's resistance to standardized testing is admirable. Standardized tests are very high stakes, in that the student, teacher, and school itself are held accountable. If a certain score is not reached, the student's and teacher's future may be in jeopardy, and the school could lose funding. Such high stakes put a great deal of stress and strain on everyone involved. When standardized test scores are the most important thing in a school, important learning experiences may be neglected. These tests are very restrictive, and they may not assess other aspects of intelligence such as creativity and problem-solving skills. By avoiding standardized testing and focusing on formative assessments, Finland can go through their curriculum without fear. They have the freedom to do interesting and creative assignments without worrying about teaching toward a test or making a mistake. Eliminating the stress and narrow focus of standardized testing is something every country should do.

    There are several reasons for Finland's success in their education system. The foundation upon which these successful policies stand is that Finland seems to understand the importance of equitable education, and is willing to invest in the future. The Finnish people seem to put aside selfish ideals and approve of their tax dollars going towards providing everyone with a quality education. It is this principle that would be difficult to install in some societies around the world. Having individual support for all special education students, for example, would be expensive for a community. Many countries are simply unwilling to use funds towards something like that. A mindset change would need to happen in many countries to imitate Finland's success. While many countries in the world are certainly capable of following Finland's lead, they are unwilling. 

Sahlberg, P. (2012). A Model Lesson: Finland Shows Us What Equal Opportunity Looks Like. The American Educator, 36,     20.

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