Over at The Atlantic, Anu Partanen, a Finnish journalist based in New York City, has an interesting article that asks what exactly the US can learn from Finland’s unorthodox yet remarkably successful education system.
Partanen, currently writing a book about what, more broadly, the US can learn from Scandinavia, points out that perhaps that the whole problem is that America is asking the wrong questions.
She speaks to Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education’s Center for International Mobility (and author of a book on the Finnish system) who had been in NYC to talk at the Dwight School:
From [Sahlberg’s] point of view, Americans are consistently obsessed with certain questions: How can you keep track of students’ performance if you don’t test them constantly? How can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do you provide school choice?
http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-system-2011-12
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/finland-education-system-2011-12#ixzz1iBo3bZnK
The Swiss education system is also a good example. Especially the system of ‘apprenticeship’ for all kind of professions. (3 years ‘learn-on-the-job + part-time school). It gives for excellent qualified workers, with possibility of going on to Engineering college later…