Helsinki,

FINLAND

Chicago Humanities Festival
9th NOVEMBER 2013

Twitter: @pasi_sahlberg

pasisahlberg.com

THE FINNISH MIRACLE

Pasi SAHLBERG

Real winners dont compete

Great school for
each and every
child!

We will have the best school

system in the world by year
2020!

Equal Society
Student achievement (PISA)

High

Low

High
Income inequality (Gini coecient)

Wilkinson & Picke-, 2009

OECD, 2102/2013

Successful State
Economic compeVVveness
Finland #3
United States #7
CorrupVon PercepVon Index
Finland #2
United States #24
PoliVcal Empowerment
of Women
Finland #2
United States #55
To be a Mother
Finland #1
United States #30

Technological Advancement
Finland #1
United States #9
Global InnovaVon Index
Finland #4
United States #10
Child Poverty Rate
Finland 4%
United States 22%
Global Gender Gap Index
Finland #2
United States #22

Global Equity Index

Finland #2
United States #48
Least Failed State
Finland #1
United States #19
The UN Happiness Index
Finland #2
United States #11
Child Wellbeing
Finland #4
United States #26

The sad joke these days is:

If you want to live the American
Dream, move to Finland. (2011)

The World
vs.
Finland

Global Educa6onal
Reform Movement
COMPETITION
STANDARDIZATION
TEST-BASED
ACCOUNTABILITY
SCHOOL CHOICE
EDUCATION AS INDUSTRY

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish

by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole
life believing that it is stupid.
Albert Einstein

GERM spread in 2013

Impact of GERM
National averages of 15-year-old students learning outcomes in mathematics 2000-2009
2000

2003

2006

2009

560
540
520
500
480
460
440
420
USA

England

Canada

Australia

Japan

New Zealand

Netherlands

Sweden

Finland

Source: OECD

Global Educa6onal
Reform Movement

The Finnish
Way

COMPETITION

COLLABORATION

STANDARDIZATION

PERSONALIZATION

TEST-BASED
ACCOUNTABILITY

TRUST-BASED
RESPONSIBILITY

SCHOOL CHOICE

EQUITY

EDUCATION AS
INDUSTRY

EDUCATION AS
HUMAN RIGHT

No Miracle

Student achievement in
reading, mathemaVcs and
science (e.g. PISA)

1. Focus on equity

Excellence

High Performing Systems

Equity
Source: OECD (2012)

Weakness of the
relaVonship
between
achievement and
family background

0
Greece

Poland

Finland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Austria

Hungary

Korea

Estonia

Luxembourg

Czech Republic

France

Denmark

Norway

Belgium (Fr.)

Iceland

Slovenia

Belgium (Fl.)

Spain

England

Ireland

Netherlands

Portugal

Germany

Russian

Australia

1100

Scotland

1200

New Zealand

Mexico

United States

2. Time to Learn

Hours per year

Junior High School Teachers Annual Teaching Load

1000

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

OECD 2013

2. Time to Learn
9000

Total compulsory instruction hours for pupils between 7 and 14 year-olds

8000
7000

Ages 12-14

6000
5000
4000

Ages 9-11
3000
2000

Ages 7-8

1000

Netherlands

Australia

Italy
United States

Mexico

France

England

Ireland

Spain

Belgium

Portugal

OECD average

Denmark

Austria

Japan

Greece

Germany

Norway

Korea

Sweden

Finland

OECD 2013

2. Time to Learn
9000

Total compulsory instruction hours for pupils between 7 and 14 year-olds

8000
7000

2 years
Ages 12-14

6000
5000
4000

Ages 9-11
3000
2000

Ages 7-8

1000

Netherlands

Australia

Italy
United States

Mexico

France

England

Ireland

Spain

Belgium

Portugal

OECD average

Denmark

Austria

Japan

Greece

Germany

Norway

Korea

Sweden

Finland

OECD 2013

3. Enhanced Professionalism

Applicants

Accepted

Applicants and accepted to primary teacher educaVon in Finlands eight universiVes in 2013

SOCIAL CAPITAL

3. Enhanced Professionalism

AL
N
O
I
ESS
F
O
R

AL
T
I
P
CA
HUMAN CAPITAL

Inspired by Hargreaves & Fullan (2012)

Finnish Lessons

Equity is excellence

Student achievement in
reading, mathemaVcs and
science (e.g. PISA)

Excellence

High Performing Systems

Equity

Weakness of the
relaVonship between
student achievement
and family background

School is a team

The quality of an education

system CAN exceed the quality
of its teachers.

Children must play

Thank you!

pasisahlberg.com

Twitter: @pasi_sahlberg