Cornerstones of Education Policy in Finland

Our meeting with the National Board of Education (which roughly compares to our state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in function) gave us an understanding of the context and history. (And, fun facts like there is a 1:2 ratio of saunas to people in Finland — which may explain why everyone is so calm!)

Education was originally run by the church, which had decreed that both men and women had to be able to read and write in order to get married. Mothers taught students at home, which may be the root of the cultural expectation of parental responsibility and engagement in education. Since compulsory education became law in 1921, there has not been a big debate about the importance of education. “Everyone thinks in similar way about it,” was how it was described. There is a shared belief that education can change social status.

As others have observed, and Rep. Jennifer Benson blogged, we have heard recurring themes about the value of education and respect and trust for teachers. Leo Pahkin, Counsellor at the Board, told us about the five cornerstones of education policy that have been consistently applied regardless of the party in power. These are worth repeating:

1. Common and consistent long-term policy – Education reform started in 1970 and led to the shared goal and expectation that all kids will get an excellent education. Teacher training, both for new teachers and in-service professional development, has been a key focus to raise standards.

2. Broad commitment to a vision of a knowledge-based economy – Changes are creating pressures for educational innovation. The skills that are easiest to teach are also easiest to digitize, automate or outsource. As the economic input of routine manual jobs declines, teaching needs to adapt to the new economic demands. Families share and convey the message that school is important.

3. Educational equality – All children have rights and talents. Every student gets the general, intensified and special support they need. Comprehensive schools are free of charge to all including books, food, transportation and health care; with well-organized and effective special education (SPED).

4. Devolution of decision power and responsibility at local level – Principals have great authority and give direction to the school. They fill many roles and are very important. Municipalities can organize schools in different ways and make hiring decisions in various ways that meet local needs. Communication between school and home is part of the core curriculum and a professional expectation.

5. Culture of trust – “Finnish handshakes are the strongest in the world.” There are no statewide or national exams until one given for upper secondary school that is competitive and high stakes, causing concerns about the kids who don’t get accepted to a program. Government accountability ended with elimination of the “inspection” system – students are “inspectors” and provide feedback to their teachers.

You can find the presentation here and more information on the website.

These points were reinforced at the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture,where Ilkka Turunen, Special Government Advisor, explained that these attitudes are embedded in Finnish thinking. When polled about the most important occurence in their history, 3 out of 4 Finns say it was the establishment of compulsory education.

Our challenge? What policy changes are needed to embed this value and trust in our education system in the culture in Massachusetts? More to come…