The Daily Telegraph report on the CPS paper “Real Finnish Lessons: The true story of an education superpower“, Wednesday 15 April 2015.
To read the full article, visit the Daily Telegraph website.
“In a report published by the Centre for Policy Studies, Mr. Sahlgren writes: “Standard explanations for Finland’s education success include … high teacher trust and status, and a reputable teacher training system. Even pupils’ and teachers’ comparatively low workload have been seen as reasons for its achievements.
However, Mr Sahlgren argues, as the country’s performance has declined, explanations for Finland’s international standing are becoming “obsolete”. Scores for Finnish education at PISA league tables, a top international ranking, were at the top in the early to mid -2000s. However, they have seen a decline.
Mr Sahlgren said: “The most popular policy-related reasons for Finland’s rise to prominence clearly do not stand up to scrutiny. Research does not support them, and above all, the improvements began before many of the highlighted policies were even introduced.
“If anything, they coincide with Finland’s recent slippage.”
In his opinion, and based on his own research, Mr Sahlgren argues that Finland’s success is to do with “historical, economic, and cultural factors that have little to do with the country’s education system.” In fact, traditional teaching methods may have had a role to play, he says. “It is also clear that the country’s hierarchical educational culture, including traditional teaching methods, partly explain its achievements”, he wrote.”
To read the full article, visit the Daily Telegraph website.
Date Added: Wednesday 15th April 2015
