School Starts Later

Children in Finland dont begin school until age seven. That isnt to say they arent being
educated earlier in life. Finland heavily subsidizes daycare for children, and 97 percent of
Finnish children attend preschool, which starts at age five, and emphasizes playing and
socializing.

More Recess
In the United States, our imaginative learners get little playtime, averaging 27 minutes of recess
a day. Finnish children get 75 minutes of recess a day, receiving a 15-minute break after every
lesson. Outdoor physical activity is highly encouraged and some lessons are taught outside
even in winter!

No Testing
There are few, if any, mandatory tests in Finland until a single exam at the end of high school.
Theres also little homework. Why you ask? Finnish school principal and former teacher Kari
Louhivuori told Smithsonian Its nonsense. We know much more about the children than these
tests can tell us.

Extra Teachers for Struggling Students

The average class size in Finland is 20 students. There is no tracking or separation of students
based on ability. They are all taught in the same class. To ensure that children with learning or
behavior disabilities, or immigrants struggling to learn Finnish, dont fall behind, schools hire
teaching aides who undergo an extra year of education to supplement teachers efforts.

More Languages
Finnish language education begins on the first day of school. By age nine, students begin
Swedish (Finlands second official language), and at 11, they start learning a third language,
usually English. Many students even take on a fourth language around age 13. Students are
tested on their first two languages in a matriculation exam for university placement.

Instruction Guidelines, Not Prescriptions

Teachers are given guidelines for what they have to teach, but they are not given prescriptions for
how to teach it. This allows the highly trained teachers to develop a curriculum geared toward
teaching their unique group of students. For instance, Timo Heikkinen, principal of the Kallahti
school, implemented a new environmental science program that revolves around the forest next
to the school.

Less Teaching
A teacher in Finland might only teach for four hours of the school day, spending at least two
hours on building curriculums and assessing student progress. (This is compared to at least five
hours of instruction in a U.S. school.) With fewer teaching hours, students are not overwhelmed
with class, and teachers are not struggling to prepare.

Professional Teacher
You need more than a bachelors degree and a teacher certification in Finlandyou must have a
masters degree. Teachers can get their masters degree at one of eight national colleges, the cost
of which is completely subsidized by the government. Competition for these spots is fierce:
Applicants must be in the top 10 percent of their college classes. In 2010 6,600 applicants
applied for 600 slots.

Teachers Stick with Students

In the United States, students usually get a new teacher every year. In Finland, a teacher likely
sticks with the same group of students for five years. By doing this not only do teachers have a
better chance to form relationships with their students, but they also have a better opportunity to
get to know students as learners.

43 Percent Attend Vocational School

At the age of 16, students can decide if they want to attend the Finnish equivalent of high school
to prepare them for university or enter vocational training. Students who attend vocational school
can attend a university provided they score high enough on the matriculation exam.

Finland does not give their kids standardized tests.

Individual schools have curriculum autonomy; individual teachers have classroom
autonomy.
It is not mandatory to give students grades until they are in the 8th grade.
All teachers are required to have a master's degree.
Finland does not have a culture of negative accountability for their teachers. According to
Partanen, "bad" teachers receive more professional development; they are not threatened with
being fired.
Finland has a culture of collaboration between schools, not competition. Most schools,
according to Partanen, perform at the same level, so there is no status in attending a particular
facility.
Finland has no private schools.

 Education emphasis is "equal opportunity to all."They value equality over excellence.

A much higher percentage of Finland's educational budget goes directly into the classroom
than it does in the US, as administrators make approximately the same salary as teachers. This
also makes Finland's education more affordable than it is in the US.
Finnish culture values childhood independence; one example: children mostly get themselves
to school on their own, by walking or bicycling, etc. Helicopter parenting isn't really in their
vocabulary.
Finnish schools don't assign homework, because it is assumed that mastery is attained in the
classroom.
Finnish schools have sports, but no sports teams. Competition is not valued.
The focus is on the individual child. If a child is falling behind, the highly trained teaching
staff recognizes this need and immediately creates a plan to address the child's individual needs.
Likewise, if a child is soaring ahead and bored, the staff is trained and prepared to appropriately
address this as well.
Partanen correlated the methods and success of their public schools to US private schools.
We already have a model right here at home.
Compulsory school in Finland doesn't begin until children are 7 years old.