Fifteen-year-old students in Finland rank among the brainiest kids in the world, according to standardized test scores — outperforming their American peers by wide margins. In an article today, the Wall Street Journal asks, what makes Finnish kids so smart? A couple of key findings come through: It isn’t the amount of money spent on education. It’s the culture, stupid.
Finland, which has living standards comparable to the United States spends about $7,500 per student compared to $8,700 in the U.S. Finnish teachers get paid about the same. But Finland, population five million, is one of the world’s most homogenous societies. The article doesn’t say this, but I suspect it to be the case: There is much greater pressure for social comformity. When social conformity places a high value on education, that turns out to be a good thing.
Hannele Frantsi, a school principal, sets the tone: “We don’t have oil or other riches. Knowledge is the thing Finnish people have.” As a people, the Finns love to read. According to WSJ writer Ellen Gamerman, parents of newborns receive a government-paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Libraries are attached to shopping malls. Book buses road neighborhood streets like the Good Humor truck. Finland also has a drop-out rate much lower than the U.S. — about 4 percent compared to 25 percent.
The Finnish cultural emphasis on education is reflected also in the popularity of the teaching profession. Teaching jobs are highly competitive: More than 40 applicants for a job is not unheard of. While salaries are comparable to the U.S., Finnish teachers generally have more freedom.
Finnish teachers pick books and customize lessons as they shape students to national standards. “In most countries, education feels like a car factory. In Finland, the teachers are the entrepreneurs,” says [Andreas] Schleicher, of the Paris-based OECD.
Bottom line: Finnish teachers feel more invested in their work, and they are given more free rein for creativity. Compare that to the bureaucracy-laden, top-heavy approach to education in the U.S., where teachers function more like cogs in a machine.
When people say spending more money is the answer, look to Finland. When people say paying teachers more money is the answer, look to Finland. The multicultural U.S. may never be able to replicate Finland’s performance in standardized tests — especially when eight percent of U.S. students are learning English as a second language — but it is within our power to slash bureaucracy, put our cash in the classroom, give teachers more freedom and make their jobs more rewarding.