Lessons for Indian Schools? Comparing Education in Finland and the U.S.

In an increasingly connected world, the nature of work in India is changing. The Covid-19 pandemic showed us that it’s possible to work remotely from anywhere in the world. And in 2020, over 18 million Indians lived and worked abroad, making India the country with the world’s largest diaspora.?

Given these changes, it’s important for Indian schools to consider the educational philosophy? and training offered by schools in the developed world, where many Indians work, whether? remotely or in person. Studying these educational systems helps us identify best practices and think about which of these practices might be logically and prudently incorporated into our own system. To that end, this article compares two very different developed countries that both have excellent but very different educational systems: Finland and the U.S.??

Different Countries, Different Philosophies

While both are considered developed countries, Finland and the U.S. (and India) do have differences that make comparison tricky. First, Finland is obviously much smaller than the U.S. - about the size of Minnesota. Its population is also historically quite homogenous, though like the rest of Europe it’s becoming less so: 90% of the student population speaks the same language and has the same religion.?

Compare this to the U.S., which is not only much more racially and linguistically diverse (as of 2014, less than half of all students have been White), but where that diversity also corresponds to economic differences - a wealth gap - that strongly influences academic performance. Economic inequality in Finland, by contrast, is among the lowest in Europe, and so we would expect a more even academic performance amongst Finnish students.

But while these material differences are important, it's the philosophical differences between the Finnish and U.S. education systems that have really affected educational outcomes for the two countries.

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Grounded in capitalism-influenced philosophies of choice and competition, the U.S. has responded to several decades of slipping international rankings and the perception of a worsening education crisis with attempts to "toughen up." In practice, this has meant tightening control over schools and curricula, vastly increasing standardized testing and giving "report cards" to schools and teachers, with punitive consequences for failure. Many of these measures have relied heavily on the incorporation of technology into education and on market-based solutions. Big nonprofit companies like the Educational Testing Service play an ever expanding role in the American education system, far more so than teachers and local school administrators. Despite all these "tough" measures, though, U.S. students still continue to rank poorly in math and science (38th and 24th, respectively), and internationally their education rankings have continued to fall.

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By contrast, since the early 1970s (and, some would argue, well before that) Finland has been committed to building a good, publicly financed public education system - a desire so deeply rooted that some have called it the Finnish Dream. Because this desire has been so longstanding in Finnish politics and culture, says Pasi Sahlberg, the author of Finnish Lessons, the Finns have been able to implement effective large-scale changes in education while the U.S. and other countries have struggled.

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The philosophical differences between the two countries show up in two significant ways: in the preparation and cultural status of teachers; and in the differing focus on play and experiential education in the curriculum.

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Preparation and Trust - Teacher Education in Finland and the U.S.

Teacher preparation and status is probably the biggest difference between the two countries. Finland upholds notoriously strict requirements for teacher preparation programs. Becoming a teacher in Finland requires a Master's degree from one of 8 highly competitive teacher preparation programs, which take only the top 10% of high school graduates. The rigorous, competitive nature of Finnish teacher education means not only that well-trained, top-notch students end up being teachers, but that the position of teacher is culturally respected.

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But perhaps more importantly, beyond building excellent teacher education systems and paying teachers well, the Finnish education system also places professional trust in teachers - and this may be the "secret sauce" that makes the most difference in Finnish education. These excellently trained Finnish teachers are given the latitude to exercise their professional judgment and apply knowledge in terms of curriculum, student assessment, school improvement, and community involvement.

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In the U.S., teacher education is more uneven and far less competitive. But more than that, compared to other U.S. professionals, teachers are underpaid and overworked, and teachers tend to be simultaneously lionized and vilified in politically polarized American culture. The erosion of public respect for U.S. teachers, along with poor wages and long hours, came to a head during the pandemic: a survey conducted by the RAND Corp found that nearly 1 in 4 teachers considered leaving at the end of the 2020-21 school year (as compared to 1 in 6 in years prior). The U.S. is currently facing a serious teacher shortage: a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute summarizes it as “real, large and growing, and worse than we thought.” The report recommends that the U.S. needs to address the working conditions - low pay, a challenging school environment and weak professional development support and recognition - that prompt teachers to quit or get dissuaded from entering the profession.?

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Play vs. Testing: Curricular Differences

Though it may seem counterintuitive, Finnish school children do less in school. Finnish students spend less time studying both in and out of school than their peers in other countries, Sahlberg says in Finnish Lessons. What's more, there's an increased focus on student play and creativity in schools. Play is a central and regular part of the Finnish school day, which typically includes 15 minutes of recess for every 45 minutes of class time.?

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While some may see play as a waste of valuable educational time, it actually helps students better integrate knowledge, a paper published by the Harvard Graduate School of Education confirms. Whether it’s free play, dramatic play, or creative play, “Providing children the opportunity to ask ‘what if?’ allows them to imagine new possibilities, identify problems, and work to solve them,” the authors say.?

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Contrast this with the U.S., whose obsession with pushing academic achievement ever earlier leaves little space for play in the curriculum. Recess and physical education routinely get trimmed from the school day to make room for more time on math and reading. And many schools punish lower-performing students by keeping them out of recess breaks altogether so they can focus on studying.

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On a recent trip to study the Finnish education system, U.S. middle school head Elaine Griffin learned that a central part of Finnish education takes place outdoors. A typical outdoor learning activity might be plant collection, where students of all ages spend time identifying and cataloguing area plants. But beyond that, children also just spend a lot of time playing outdoors. In a letter to parents about the trip, Griffin explained that outdoor play positively affects not just memory, positive social interactions and environmental stewardship, but also more long-term things: free outdoor play “builds the resilience and grit that form character and shape destiny,” she said.?

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Of course, one must be cautious about idealizing either the Finnish or the U.S. educational systems - or in simply importing their tactics and methods into an Indian educational system without a clear understanding of the social philosophy and context in which their systems are grounded. But nonetheless, trying to reproduce some of their successes in a different context seems like a worthy goal that will ultimately benefit our students.