FINNISH LESSONS

What Can the U.S. Learn from

Educational Change in Finland?

Pasi Sahlberg, PhD

Director General
CIMO (Ministry of Education)
Helsinki

World Class Education Birth to 20

University of Illinois at Chicago
Monday 5th December 2011

www.pasisahlberg.com
Einar Fritjof SAHLBERG (1895-1977)
 2010

1790

Between the West and the East

Finland Today
Education in Finland
 Education system performance over
time in Finland and developed nations
Learning, Participation, Equity, and Efficiency

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Education system in 2011
5
4 23+
3 22
Universities Polytechnics
2 21
1 60% 20 Specialist
Work vocational
experience qualifications
3 General Vocational school 19
2 upper secondary Apprenticeship 18 Further
school training
1 17 vocational
qualifications
Grades 10 Age
55% 40% 16
9

Compulsory schooling
Work
experience

Basic school

1
7
Preschool
6
The Finnish Way 1:
Excellence by Equity
 Equity in education
variation of student performance in science

PISA 2006
 Equity in education
variation of student performance in science
Variation of
performance within
schools

Variation of
performance between
schools

PISA 2006
The Finnish Way 2:
Less is More
 0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
United States
Mexico
New Zealand
Scotland
Hours per year

Australia
Russian
Germany
Portugal
Netherlands
Ireland
England
Spain
Belgium (Fl.)
Slovenia
Iceland
Belgium (Fr.)
Norway
Denmark
France
Czech Republic
Middle School Teachers

Luxembourg
Estonia
Korea
Finnish teachers teach less

Hungary
Austria
Net contact time in hours per year in public institutions

Japan
Italy
Israel
Finland
Poland
Greece
OECD 2010
 Finnish pupils study less
in and out of school
9000
Total compulsory instruction hours between 7 and 14 year-olds
8000

7000

6000 Ages 12-14

5000

4000
Ages 9-11
3000

2000

1000 Ages 7-8

0
Sweden

Korea

Greece

Japan

Austria

Denmark

OECD average

Portugal

Belgium

Spain

Ireland

England

France

Mexico

Italy

Australia

Netherlands
Finland

Norway

Germany

OECD 2010
 More money, less learning
Learning
580

Finland
560

540
Canada
Japan
PISA science score in 2006

Korea Australia Netherlands

520 United Kingdom

Germany Austria Switzerland
Belgium

Ireland
Sweden
500 Denmark
France

Spain
Norway United States
480 Italy
Portugal
Greece

460 Cost
50,000 55,000 60,000 65,000 70,000 75,000 80,000 85,000 90,000 95,000 100,000

Cumulative cost per student in USD (2006)

OECD 2010
 The Finnish Way 3:
Test Less, Learn More
 Finnish Students are Tested less

National averages of 15-year-old students learning outcomes in mathematics 2000-06

560

540

520

2000
2003
2006
500

480

460
USA UK Canada Australia Japan New Zealand Ireland Finland

OECD 2001-2007
 Finnish Students are Tested Less

National averages of 15-year-old students learning outcomes in mathematics 2000-06

560

540

520

2000
2003
2006
500

480

460
USA UK Canada Australia Japan New Zealand Ireland Finland

OECD 2001-2007
The Finnish Way 4:
Teaching as a Dream Job
 Applicants to primary school teacher education

7000

6000

5000

4000
Male
3000 Female

2000

1000
Accepted
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Teacher salaries relative to workers with college degree
1.4

1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4
Admission: 1st Phase 2nd Phase 3rd Phase
- high school merits - exam - interview
0.2
- other merits

OECD 2010
(What) Can We Learn from Finland?
Global
Educational Finnish
Reform
Movement
Way

Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

 Global
Educational Finnish
Reform
Movement
Way

X
Academic Holistic
 Global
Educational Finnish
Reform
Movement
Way

X
Standardization
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves
Personalization
 Global
Educational Finnish
Reform
Movement
Way

X
Competition
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves
Community
 Global
Educational Finnish
Reform
Movement
Way

X
Choice
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves
Equity
 Global
Educational Finnish
Reform
Movement
Way

X
Accountability
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves
Trust
Three Questions for Illinois:

1 Do you need all that standardized testing?

2 Can you do more to improve well-being?

3 Could vocational options be enhanced?

One thing I never want to see happen is
schools that are just teaching to the test
because then youre not learning about
the world, youre not learning about
dierent cultures, youre not learning
about science, youre not learning about
math.

All youre learning about is

how to fill out a little bubble
on an exam and little tricks
that you need to do in
order to take a test and
thats not going to make
education interesting. 28 march 2011
 "The story of Finland's extraordinary educational
reforms is one that should inform policymakers
and educators around the world.
Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University

A terrific synthesis by a native Finn, a teacher, a

researcher and a policy analyst all rolled up into
one excellent writer.
David Berliner, Arizona State University

"This book is a wake-up call for the U.S. It is the

antidote to the NCLB paralysis."
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves
Henry M. Levin, Teachers College, Columbia University

Kiitos!

www.pasisahlberg.com