Finland Vs. The United States: The Finish Education System

Education System The Finish education system offers a stable comprehensive education to its population unlike the United States that make students take standardized tests and repeat grades if necessary. Finland’s system does not put emphasis on the use of formal examinations to gauge the academic strength of the students. On the other hand certain individuals might feel that the American education system is a model of success with Common Core standards. Based on this major gap one can conclude that there are differences between both education systems. In the new millennium, Finland has gained a reputation for having one of the best education systems in the world. Many factors, including a well-educated teaching force which contributes to

In the old system, different types of schools prepared students in different ways. When reformers created peruskoulu, all students started to attend one type of school; thus, teachers needed to have more expertise because they would be teaching a wider variety of students. Teachers under the new system needed to learn how to differentiate instruction and to offer alternative teaching methods. In order for teachers to be prepared, teacher education had to be reformed. These expectations led to a rigorous teacher education program that contributes strongly to Finland's success in

Educators in Finland do not believe that frequent testing and stronger accountability will increase student learning, but could create opportunities for biased teaching, which may raise test scores with little learning. Because Finland does not emphasize standardized testing, there is no competition among schools and thus no unnecessary stress on students and teachers. The low level of accountability and testing allows teachers to guide students to discover their own ways of accomplishing curricular goals without fear; for most students, this type of environment encourages creativity and excellence. Another factor leading to a superior learning environment in Finnish schools is adequate time for collaboration among teachers. Such opportunities help teachers share knowledge of individual students, plan together, and learn from each other. In Finnish schools, teachers meet weekly to plan and develop curriculum, and they also make important decisions regarding syllabi, textbooks, assessments, course offerings, budgets, and professional development. Schools also share and learn from each other through a flexible and organized system that permits best practices to be