The Atlantic: Finland's education reform offers potential lesson

[Kasept]

Fascinating piece in The Atlantic about Finland's remade education system and possible lessons it offers us. It also inadvertantly conflates an important broader message that a segment of our society is going out of its' way to not understand.

What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success
By Anu Partanen

The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/...uccess/250564/

Clearly, many were wrong. It is possible to create equality. And perhaps even more important -- as a challenge to the American way of thinking about education reform -- Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.

The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad.

[Danzig]

an interesting and thought provoking article.


it seems to me, whether it's on education or race or other topics, that too many are too afraid to have a discussion. are we afraid of what we might unearth? or do we think we can't do better, or don't want to change? we have been doing certain things to try to improve our education, yet they don't seem to make a difference. more standardized tests when the ones we have now aren't showing much progress isn't the answer.

very intriguing idea, no private schools. boy, there'd be serious changes made if that were to occur here!!!!

[pmacdaddy]

Interesting article, but isn't Finland's population roughly equal to Queens east to end of Long Island? And their poverty rate is less than half of our suburbs.

I really like their approach vs standardized testing. I know they have a teacher's union, but it would take a near revoloution here for this to fly- "If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it."

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by pmacdaddy

Interesting article, but isn't Finland's population roughly equal to Queens east to end of Long Island? And their poverty rate is less than half of our suburbs.

I really like their approach vs standardized testing. I know they have a teacher's union, but it would take a near revoloution here for this to fly- "If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it."

that's how it should be. bad teachers should be handled the same way as any other employee who isn't cutting it.

[GenuineRisk]

As long as school funding is tied to property taxes, our public education system will be inherently unequal.

I also have a problem with excusing senior citizens from paying school taxes.

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

As long as school funding is tied to property taxes, our public education system will be inherently unequal.

I also have a problem with excusing senior citizens from paying school taxes.

Easy there ace...don't rock the boat...

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by bigrun

Easy there ace...don't rock the boat...

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

As long as school funding is tied to property taxes, our public education system will be inherently unequal.

I also have a problem with excusing senior citizens from paying school taxes.

good point.

[bigrun]

Originally Posted by Danzig

good point.

Neal Boortz calls public schools - government schools...

I'm gonna miss that guy when he retires in Jan..He's a hilarious wingnut..