FINNISH LESSONS What can the world learn from educational change in Finland?

Pasi Sahlberg, PhD Director General CIMO (Ministry of Education) Helsinki

16 June 2011 Seizing Success: Annual Leadership Conference Birmingham, ENGLAND

www.pasisahlberg.com

What is Finland?

2010

1790

Between the East and the West

Social innovation

Sauna World Championships

Air Guitar World Championships

Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships

Wife Carrying World Championships

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 3 2 1 3 2 1 Grades 9 Universities
60%

Polytechnics

23+ 22 21 20

General upper secondary school 10

55%

Vocational school Apprenticeship training

40%

Work experience 19 18 17 Age 16 Compulsory schooling

Specialist vocational qualifications Further vocational qualifications

Work experience

Basic school

1 Preschool

7 6

The Finnish Way: Less is more

1100

1000

1200

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

United States Mexico New Zealand Scotland Australia Russian Federation Germany Portugal Netherlands Ireland England Spain Belgium (Fl.) Slovenia Iceland Belgium (Fr.) Norway Denmark France Czech Republic Luxembourg Estonia Korea Hungary Austria Japan Italy Israel Finland Poland Greece

Hours per year

Finnish teachers teach less

Net contact time in hours per year in public institutions Middle School Teachers

OECD 2010

Finnish pupils study less

9000

Total compulsory instruction hours between 7 and 14 year-olds

8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 Ages 9-11 3000 2000 1000 0 Ages 7-8 Ages 12-14

OECD average

Netherlands

Germany

Denmark

Belgium

Norway

England

Sweden

Portugal

Japan

Spain

Ireland

Italy

Australia

Korea

Greece

Finland

Mexico

Austria

France

OECD 2010

Student achievement costs less

580

Finland
560

540

PISA science score in 2006

Japan Korea Australia Germany Ireland Netherlands

Canada

520

United Kingdom
Belgium Sweden France Spain Denmark

Austria

Switzerland

500

Norway

United States

480
Portugal Greece

Italy

460 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: 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 500 2006

480

460 USA UK Canada Australia Japan New Zealand Ireland Finland

OECD 2001-2007

Finnish students are good in civics, too

8th Grade Students Civic Knowledge in 2009
Finland Denmark Korea Sweden Poland Ireland Italy Switzerland Estonia United Kingdom New Zealand Norway Belgium Spain Austria Chile Greece Luxemburg Mexico 400 450 500 550 600

ICCS 2010

Finnish schools differ less

Variation in student performance in reading (2009)
OECD average 42%
Finland 7.7%

Performance differences between schools

Performance variation of students within schools

Teaching as a dream job

The Finnish Way:

Applicants to primary school teacher education 2001-10

7000

6000

Male
5000

4000

Female
3000

Admission:

1st Phase
- high school merits - other merits

2nd Phase
- exam

3rd Phase
- interview

2000

1000

7000

2000

660
Accepted

0 2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

What can we learn from Finland?

Global Educational Reform Movement

Finnish Way

Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

Global Educational Reform Movement

Finnish Way

Core subjects

Holistic learning

Global Educational Reform Movement

Finnish Way

Standardisation
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

Personalisation

Global Educational Reform Movement

Finnish Way

Competition
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

Collaboration

Global Educational Reform Movement

Finnish Way

Choice
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

Equity

Global Educational Reform Movement

Finnish Way

Control
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

Trust

Advance Praise:

"The story of Finland's extraordinary educational reforms is one that should inform policymakers and educators around the world. No one tells this story more clearly and engagingly than Pasi Sahlberg, who has lived and studied these reforms for decades. This book is a must read.
Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education and Co-Director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education at Stanford University

A terrific synthesis by a native Finn, a teacher, a researcher and a policy analyst all rolled up into one excellent writer. Pasi Sahlberg teaches us a great deal about what we need to know before engaging in national educational reforms.
David Berliner, Regents' Professor in the College Of Education at Arizona State University

Pasi Sahlberg is the best education policy expert to share the Finnish experiences with the international community. I have known him for decades and this book confirms that he is not only a practitioner but also a visionary that we Finns need when searching for the solutions to our educational challenges.
Erkki Aho, Director General (1973 1991), Finnish National Board of Education

"This book is a wake-up call for the U.S. Finland went from mediocre academic results to one of the top performers in the world. And, they did it with minimal testing, teacher unions, national collaboration, and elevating teaching to a high-status calling. This is the antidote to the NCLB paralysis."
Foreword by Andy Hargreaves

Henry M. Levin, William Heard Kilpatrick Professor of Economics and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University and David Jacks Professor of Education and Economics, Emeritus Stanford University

Available October 2011, Paperback, $34.95 ISBN: 978-0-8077-5257-9

Thank You!

Kiitos! pasisahlberg.com