What Can the U.S. Learn from Finland

On Early Ed Watch I wrote about attending a screening of The Finland Phenomenon, a new documentary made by Bob Compton about Finland’s educational success.

I said that there are lessons for individuals states and school districts about how Finland “selects and trains its teachers, develops its curriculum, structures the school day and provides equitable education for all students.”

I wanted to delve a little deeper here and highlight how Finland prepares teachers. First, according to the film, prospective teachers in Finland are carefully selected-- not just anyone can enter a university to become a teacher. Prospective teachers complete a five year preparation program and upon completion they have earned a master’s degree.

I am particularly impressed by the amount of time prospective teachers spend observing master teachers and observing one another teach. Schools are like laboratories where teacher candidates discuss what they saw master teachers do and what they might have done differently.

In Finland, teachers are really seen as researchers, constantly observing their students to determine whether they’ve grasped the concept being taught or not. And if they aren’t getting it, Finland teachers are equipped with an array of tools to differentiate learning, targeting students’ specific needs.

Some say that the United States won’t ever be like Finland. We have a much higher poverty rates and a much more diverse population. Not to mention, the U.S. is a much bigger country with individual states primarily responsible for education.

All true, but does it really matter? When it comes to teacher preparation, I don't think it does. And by the way, Sweden, a country with similar economic and population characteristics to Finland, doesn't score close to Finland.

There is no reason why the U.S. can’t rethink the way teachers are selected and prepared. Doing so would likely have a major impact on teacher retention, as teachers would feel that they are truly ready to meet the needs of their students. We can’t stop there though. There are also many things we can learn from Finland about supporting and developing teachers.