What can we learn from educa1onal change in Finland? Pasi SAHLBERG, PhD Director General CIMO/Ministry of EducaAon Helsinki FINLAND THE NETHERLANDS January 2013 pasisahlberg.com TwiQer: @pasi_sahlberg
Finland
Three facts to know (1) Finland has not always been a high performer 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Three facts to know (2) Finland has never aimed to be the best We want to have school system where everybody has an opportunity to succeed. We will have the best school system in the world!
Three facts to know (3) Finland does well overall Economic compeaaveness Finland #3 United States #7 Technological Advancement Finland #3 United States #5 Prosperity Finland #1 United States #9 CorrupAon PercepAon Index Finland #2 United States #24 Global Equity Index Finland #2 United States #48 Global InnovaAon Index Finland #4 United States #10 Child Poverty Rate Finland 4% United States 22% Least Failed State Finland #1 United States #19 The UN Happiness Index Finland #2 United States #11 Income Inequality Rate (10%) Finland 5.6 United States 15.9 Global Gender Gap Index Finland #2 United States #22 Child Health and Wellbeing Finland #3 United States #20
The sad joke these days is: If you want to live the American Dream, move to Finland. (2011)
Similar policies, beqer implementaaon? or Different policies, different implementaaon?
Global EducaAonal Reform Movement The Finnish Way COMPETITION TEST- BASED ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDIZATION COLLABORATION TRUST- BASED RESPONSIBILITY CUSTOMIZATION CHOICE HUMAN CAPITAL EQUITY SOCIAL CAPITAL
Impact of GERM? National averages of 15-year-old students learning outcomes in mathematics 2000-09 580 560 540 520 2000 500 480 2003 2006 2009 460 440 420 USA UK Canada Australia Japan New Zealand The Netherlands Finland
Education system in 2013 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1 Grades 9 Universities General upper secondary school 10 60% Polytechnics Vocational school Apprenticeship training 50% 45% 23+ 22 21 20 Work experience 19 18 17 Age 16 Specialist vocational qualifications Further vocational qualifications Basic school Compulsory schooling Work experience 1 Preschool 7 6
Three Key Educa1on Policies
Key Policy #1: Equality first High Learning outcomes. Low Income inequality High Wilkinson & Picke-, 2009 OECD, 2010
Students performance in reading, mathemaacs and science (e.g. PISA) Key Policy #1: Equity first High Performers Excellence Equity Strength of the relaaonship between performance and socio- economic background
Key Policy #1: Equity first VariaAon of students reading literacy in PISA 2009 VariaAon between school VariaAon within school OECD FINLAND THE NETHERLANDS
Key Policy #1: Equity first VariaAon of students reading literacy in PISA 2009 VariaAon between school OECD FINLAND THE NETHERLANDS
Key Policy #2: Less is more Ages 7 to 8 Ages 9 to 11 Ages 12 to 14 Less classroom Ame Poland Estonia Finland Slovenia Russian Sweden1 Korea Czech Republic2 Hungary Norway Slovak Republic Greece Japan Germany Iceland Denmark OECD average Austria Chile Turkey Belgium (Fl.) England Portugal Luxembourg Spain Ireland France Mexico Netherlands Belgium (Fr.)3 Israel Australia Italy OECD, 2012 0 1 000 2 000 3 000 4 000 5 000 6 000 7 000 8 000 9 000 Total number of intended instruction hours
Key Policy #2: Less is more Less teaching Ame 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 United States Mexico Average annual teaching hours of a typical middle school teacher New Zealand Scotland Australia Russian Germany Portugal Netherlands Ireland England Spain Belgium (Fl.) Slovenia Iceland Belgium (Fr.) Norway Denmark France Czech Republic Luxembourg Estonia Korea Hungary 60 min/day Austria Japan Italy Israel Finland Poland Greece OECD, 2012
Key Policy #2: Less is more Curriculum planning Student assessment School improvement School welfare issues More Ame for collaboraaon
Key Policy #3: Teacher and Leader Professionalism Applicants Accepted Applicants and accepted to primary teacher educaaon in the University of Helsinki in 2012
What high- performing systems don t have? Government- pushed charter schools and priva1sa1on Performance- based pay and fast- track prepara1on of teachers State prescribed standards and aligned standardised tes1ng Puni1ve accountability to sanc1on failing schools and teachers Confronta1on and work against teachers Sahlberg, 2011; Hargreaves & Shirley, 2012
OECD (2012): School choice advocates open argue that the introducaon of market mechanisms allows equal access to high quality schooling for all.
OECD (2012): However, evidence does not support these percepaons, as choice and associated market mechanisms can enhance segregaaon.
OECD (2012): The highest- performing educaaon systems across the OECD countries are those that combine quality with equity.
Finnish Lesson for the Dutch #1: More collabora<on, less compe<<on.
Finnish Lesson for the Dutch #2: More trust- based responsibility, less test- based accountability.
Finnish Lesson for the Dutch #3: More ownership of teaching, less external control.
Finnish Lesson for the Dutch #4: More focus on equity, less on marke<za<on.
Finnish Lesson for the Dutch #5: More evidence- based policies, less experimenta<on with people
Thank you! pasisahlberg.com TwiQer: pasi_sahlberg