StickWithANose

Lykins set me straight in comments yesterday by asking the simplest of questions:

Is there another education model that is out there now that we can advocate or is this going to take an enormous redirection of the national discussion into places unknown?

Since my dissertation took up this question, it is only appropriate that I begin to share some of my findings here, and [more practically] nobody wants to read a blog that is written almost exclusively in the negative. Point taken…

To begin to answer the question… The model that stood out in my research is the Finnish model. Since a series of education reforms enacted during the financial crisis of the 1990’s, Finland has scored at the top of international comparisons in literacy, mathematics, and science. And, interestingly, Finland’s education expenditures is among the lowest of OECD nations. There is a lot to discuss in regard to Finland, so I’d like to begin this series of posts with a brief introduction from a scholar who has been at the forefront of getting the word out about Finland: Pasi Sahlberg.

Next week, I’ll pull out some text from my dissertation to talk about one of the keys to the success of public education in Finland… Significant investment in primary schooling. Stay tuned.