What is Finland's “Secret” to Success in Education?

For the last number of years, Finland has led the world in the performance of 15-year-old kids when it comes to literacy, numeracy, and science. In Finland, children are not required to attend formal schooling until the age of seven.

There are no private schools in Finland – all students receive a free education from the age of seven until they complete their university studies. Yes, you read that correctly: university education is completely state-funded. They also all receive free school meals, resources and materials, transport and support services.

Student excellence was never a particular priority–so when Finnish students topped the first ever PISA tests in 2001, it came as huge surprise to both the Finnish government and the international community.

Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education's Center for International Mobility, about Finland’s success in education:

No Standardized Testing

Students do not have any mandatory exams until, as a high school senior, they are required to take an exam for entrance into university.

The Prestige of Teaching

In Finland, teaching is a prestigious career; as a childhood aspiration, it is mentioned in the same breath as any other career. "When we compare teachers to other professions in society, we compare them to lawyers or doctors or architects," Dr. Sahlberg said.

Teacher Autonomy

Schools receive full autonomy, with principals and teachers receiving considerable independence when creating their own individual curriculum. Teachers design their courses and lesson plans with a national curriculum as a helpful guide, not a cast-in-stone blueprint.

Teachers assess their pupils using independent tests they create themselves. Students receive a report card at the end of each semester, but it is based on individualized reports that the teachers create.

Emphasis on Comfort and Familiarity

The Finnish school system brings new meaning to the "No Child Left Behind" policy. There is no advanced or remedial placement until grade 10; all classes contain a mix of ability-level students with most classes having two or more teachers present who can provide additional support to those who need it. Since 1991, the Finns have rejected the practice of holding back underachievers and making them repeat a grade. The stigma and loss of self-esteem was seen as too big of a drawback for grade repetition to be considered an effective practice. Instead, these students are tutored by specialists in the area of their academic weakness.

Primary school students often stay with the same teacher for several years, which allows the teacher to understand each student’s learning patterns and better tailor lesson plans and one-on-one learning. The transition from primary school to secondary school can often be very unsettling and jarring, which is why many institutions in Finland combine both primary and secondary schools. Students, also, do not wear uniforms, address teachers by their first names, and are encouraged to relax in their surroundings.

Cooperation over Competition

Dr. Sahlberg quotes the Finnish writer Samuel Paronen: "Real winners do not compete." There are no special lists or even methods to discern the best schools or the best teachers. Their policy focus is not competition between teachers and schools, but cooperation.

Equity over Excellence

The goal of the massive overhaul of their system was never excellence, but equity, the idea that every child should have the same opportunity to learn regardless of geography, family background, or income. Their policy was an instrument to even out social inequality, not a production system for wunderkinds.

There are no private schools in Finland – all students receive a free education from the age of seven until they complete their university studies. Yes, you read that correctly: university education is completely state-funded. They also all receive free school meals, resources and materials, transport and support services.

Student excellence was never a particular priority – so when Finnish students topped the first ever PISA tests in 2001, it came as huge surprise to both the Finnish government and the international community.