Finland
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
The Finnish Paradox
Pasi Sahlberg explores a central role play has inside and outside the school context as a foundation for positive child development.
Education Funding
Opinion
VET: The Other Side of Finland's System
Marc Tucker interviews Nancy Hoffman, Vice President and Senior Advisor at Jobs for the Future, about the less talked about side of Finland's education system - vocational education and training.
Federal
Opinion
What Happens to Finland's Well-Educated Young People?
High youth-unemployment rates in Finland show that even a strong education system can't solve all societal ills by itself, Nancy Hoffman writes.
Education
Opinion
Annals of Educational Excellence: To Finland's Exalted Station
As Americans we get serially excited about some other nation's education system. Think the Soviet Union post-Sputnik, then Japan, then Singapore--math!--and currently Finland. A common factor in these has generally been the high level of respect afforded to teachers in these places, a level far exceeding our own.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Looking to Finland for Answers on Vocational Ed.
Noah Zeichner
Both Renee Moore and Mark Sass wrote last week about the need to move away from locking students into rigid vocational or academic tracks. I couldn't agree more. What then, might a more flexible system look like?
Both Renee Moore and Mark Sass wrote last week about the need to move away from locking students into rigid vocational or academic tracks. I couldn't agree more. What then, might a more flexible system look like?
College & Workforce Readiness
News in Brief
U.S., Finland Join Forces on STEM Work
Researchers in the United States and Finland are teaming up to explore and develop projects aimed at improving STEM education.
Education
STEM Research Initiative Brings Together U.S., Finland
Researchers in both nations are teaming up to explore innovative approaches to improved STEM learning at K-12 and higher education.
Recruitment & Retention
Opinion
Lessons From Finland on Teacher Retention
Noah Zeichner
Brianna Crowley, in her comment on my last post, wrote that many teachers leave the classroom because "our profession's structure seems stuck in a 1950's model of industrialized, unionized labor rather than a professional model of flexibility and autonomy." This reminded me of a conversation I had last month with an educator from Finland, a nation with a highly unionized, yet amazingly autonomous teaching profession. And their teacher dropout rate is impressively low: 90 percent of trained teachers remain in the profession for the duration of their careers.
Brianna Crowley, in her comment on my last post, wrote that many teachers leave the classroom because "our profession's structure seems stuck in a 1950's model of industrialized, unionized labor rather than a professional model of flexibility and autonomy." This reminded me of a conversation I had last month with an educator from Finland, a nation with a highly unionized, yet amazingly autonomous teaching profession. And their teacher dropout rate is impressively low: 90 percent of trained teachers remain in the profession for the duration of their careers.
Education
International Tests Spark Questions on Finland's Standing
New assessment results suggest that Americans might not need to travel so far to learn about building a strong education system.
Teaching Profession
Opinion
Finland's Secret Sauce: Its Teachers
Kappan Editor-in-Chief Joan Richardson examines Finland's teacher education system, one of the key factors leading to the nation's success on international education assessments.
Education
Opinion
Finland's Secret Edu-Sauce: Pricey Booze, Plenty of Saunas, and the Dearth of Pantsless Ducks?
Just returned from three weeks spent traipsing around Scandinavia. Had a chance to meander Copenhagen, Bergen, Stockholm, Oslo, Helsinki, and such. Funniest discoveries: Norwegians are busy enthusiastically hosting a World Cup qualifier for scavenger hunting (they call it "orienteering"), the Danes celebrate Gay Pride weekend by astroturfing whole streets in Copenhagen and erecting beer stands at select intersections, and even an affluent guy can go broke buying cocktails in Oslo or Helsinki.
School Climate & Safety
Form Meets Function in Finland’s New Schools
A new exhibit highlights efforts in Finland to design schools tailored to the learning needs of students and teachers.
Federal
Finland Rethinks Factory-Style School Buildings
A new exhibit highlights efforts in Finland to design schools tailored to the learning needs of students and teachers.
School & District Management
Opinion
Follow-Up: Finland's Time-Saving Solution
Dedy Fauntleroy
Last time I shared my dream for 2020. This time, I'd like you to close your eyes (metaphorically, of course) and imagine with me what we can do today to get a little closer to that dream.
Last time I shared my dream for 2020. This time, I'd like you to close your eyes (metaphorically, of course) and imagine with me what we can do today to get a little closer to that dream.
