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2. Finland: A Non-Competitive
Education for a Competitive
Economy

3. Comparison of Finnish and Global ‘Ed’
Reform Policy

4. Cornerstones of Finnish Education
Policy
Long-term & consistent
A vision of a knowledge-based society
Responsibility and decision-making at local level
Culture of trust
 no national exams
 no inspectors
 no public ranking of schools
Equality and equity in education

5. The Finnish Education System

6. Equality and Equity in Finnish
Education
compulsory from the age of 7 to 16
supportive measures
free, no tuition fees
free lunches
free books and other materials
free school health care
free transportation to school

7. Basic Education
Basic education is provided free of
charge comprising all learning
materials and a warm lunch daily.
The school year stretches to 190
working days, starting in mid August
and ending in early June.
The maximum duration of a school
day is five lessons during the first two
years and up to seven lessons from
3rd to 9th year (19 – 30 lessons per
week).

8. Upper Secondary Education
Half of the age group chooses the Upper Secondary
School; the other half continues to vocational studies.
The National Matriculation Examination consists of exams
in the mother tongue, the second national language
(FIN/SWE), foreign languages, mathematics, humanities
and sciences.
Four of the exams have to be passed for the matriculation
certificate, which provides eligibility for universities and
higher vocational education.

9. Teaching, Poverty,
and Learning

10. Poverty Rates of PISA Participants
25.00%
20.00%
Poverty Rate
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%

11. Poverty Rates Before/After Gov’t Transfers
Figure 2.2 - Child Poverty Rates, Before and After Governmental Transfers
Child Poverty Rate After Taxes and Transfers Child Poverty Rate Based on Market Income
25
22.6
20
18.4
Poverty Rate
15
10
5
0
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Belgium
Finland
Czech Republic
Switzerland
France
Netherlands
OECD Average
Germany
Australia
Canada
Japan
New Zealand
Portugal
Ireland
UK
Italy
U.S.
Source: Bell, Bernstein, & Greenberg (2008), p. 85.

12. 100
200
300
400
500
600
0
U.S. (<10%)
0-10%
Korea
Finland
U.S. (10-24.9%)
Canada 10-25%
New Zealand
Japan
Australia
Netherlands
Belgium
Norway
U.S. (25-49.9%)
25-50%
Estonia
Switzerland
Poland
Iceland
U.S. (Average)
Average
Sweden
Germany
Ireland
France
Denmark
United Kingdom
Hungary
Portugal
Italy
Slovenia
Greece
Spain
Czech Republic
Slovak Republic
Israel
Luxembourg
U.S. (50-74.9%)
PISA Results by School Poverty Levels, US
50-75%
Austria
Turkey
Chile
U.S. (over 75%)
75%+
Mexico

13. “We have learned so
much about child
development and the
science of teaching and
learning from American
education researchers.”
~ Pasi Sahlberg
Child-Centered
Early Education

14. The Joy of Learning

15. Early Childhood Education and Care
System (ECEC-system)
Morning and afternoon
activities for schoolchildren
Daycare arranged
by municipality
Private Purchased Pre-school for Parents care for children/
daycare Municipal 6-year-olds arrange daycare
services
Private child Child home
care allowance SUPERVISED PLAY care allowance
Municipal
ACTIVITIES Municipal
supplements supplements
PARENTS CHOOSE
Basic education starts at age 7

16. Staffing
Adult- child ratio in day care centers:
 1 to 7 for 3-6 year-olds
 1 to 4 for children under 3 years
 At least secondary level degree
 1 in 3 post secondary level degree
Adult- child ratio in family day care
 1 to 4
 Appropriate training

17. Less
Pressure, More
Respect

20. Staff for 500 Grade 1-6 Students
Principals: 1 head and 1 deputy head
Directorate group
 (principals + 4 teachers)
4 teams: every teacher is member of one team.
 Meetings every Thursday 8-9
Student welfare team
50 teachers
15 other personnel

21. Curriculum
Sports and natural sciences are emphasized in the
lower stage curriculum
Elective subjects for the 8th and 9th grade (6 elective
lessons weekly in sports, art, home
economics, crafts, German/French
language, music, ict )
Elective lessons 1st, 2nd, 5th and 7th grades in
art, sports, music, etc
Three periods/ year in upper grade

22. Special Assistance for Learning Difficulties
Clinic-type teacher
Extra funds to prevent the marginalization, about
80,000€/year
2-assistant teachers for grades 1-6
2 teacher for special needs students
3 special education teachers
1 school psychologist, 1 curator (3 days/week), 1
health nurse (5 days per week)

23. Finnish Teacher Education
There are five teaching categories in Finland:
 Preschool teachers, majoring in educational sciences
 Class teachers, majoring in educational sciences
 Subject teachers, majoring in various school subjects
 Special education teachers, separate degree requirements
 Vocational education teachers, separate degree requirements
Entry to teaching is competitive, only 10-15% of the
applicants are accepted on national level.

24. New Finnish Lesson:
Gender Equality
Finnish women were the first in the world to be
able to vote and be elected to Parliament. Public
committees, boards, and councils require set
quotas: at least 40% of each gender!

25. Comparison of Finnish and Global ‘Ed’
Reform Policy

26. You cannot translate every Finnish Lesson for
improving America’s public educational system. But
you can, like the world’s great cuisines, adapt from
others and meld it with your own recipes.

27. Ready to go?!