Review of the book: Pasi Sahlberg (2011) Finnish Lessons. What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland?

Abstract

Today’s Finnish education started 1968 with a radical reform, when a new comprehensive system of education was introduced, to comprise nine grades, from the age 7 to 15. Since 2000, after the first PISA results, interest in Finnish education started and still, to some extent, continues. Taken all PISA rounds (2000, 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2012), Finland is still among the best 5% of world’s educational systems. There are basically three important features, which make Finland an interesting case: high results are combined with high equity, and no high-stakes testing in the basic education. Sahlberg identifies four strategic principles, well accepted in Finland: quarantee equal opportunities to good public education for all; strengthen professionalism of and trust in teachers; steer educational change through enriched information about the process of schooling and smart assessment policies; facilitate network-based school improvement collaboration between schools and non-governmental associations and groups. He also predicts that four themes of change would emerge: development of a personal road map for learning; less classroom-based teaching; development of interpersonal skills and problem solving; engagement and creativity as pointers of success.