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FINLAND, April 9, 2004: In Finland children do not start school until they are 7, spending is $5,000 a year per student, there are no gifted programs and class sizes often approach 30. Finland topped a respected international survey last year, coming in first in literacy and placing in the top five in math and science. The question on people’s minds is obvious: how did Finland, which was hobbled by a deep recession in the 1990’s, manage to outscore 31 other countries, including the United States, in the review by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development last September?



The rankings were based on reading, math and science tests given to a sample of 15-year-olds attending both public and private schools. United States students placed in the middle of the pack. Finland’s recipe is both complex and unabashedly basic. If one trait sets Finland apart from many other countries, it is the quality and social standing of its teachers. All teachers in Finland must have at least a master’s degree, and while they are no better paid than teachers in other countries, the profession is highly respected.



So long as schools stick to the core national curriculum, which lays out goals and subject areas, they are free to teach the way they want. They can choose their textbooks or ditch them altogether, teach indoors or outdoors, cluster children in small or large groups. Students must learn two foreign languages – Swedish is required by law, and most also take English. Art, music, physical education, woodwork and textiles (which is mostly sewing and knitting) are obligatory for girls and boys. Hot and healthy school lunches are free.

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