More than any other country in the world, it is the United States that has done a lot of researches about making education better. Despite this, it is Finland that keeps ranking as the top nation when it comes to providing the best education for children. In fact, Finland adopts American psychologist John Dewey's education philosophy at the primary school level.
According to The Washington Post, teachers in Finland are also supposedly required to study Dewey's works, experiments and theories as part of earning their master's degree. Wilderdom cites that John Dewey's education philosophy involves giving children real-life tasks to aid in their learning about geography, science and other vital subjects.
These tasks promote progressive education and in classrooms upholding Dewey's principles, it's the students who talk more and not the teachers. Observers note that this is quite evident in Finland's schools.
So, why doesn't the American school system do the same? Pasi Sahlberg, an educator from Finland, cites that politics might have something to do with it. Often, the important decisions about education are left to the school board of each state, which might have different ideas in how things go.
"Overall, education in the United States is much more political than it is in Finland, where it's much more of a professional issue," Sahlberg said, as Business Insider reports. Sahlberg also cites that Finland relies on just one agency for decisions in school policies — its Ministry of Education and Culture.
In contrast, America has different school systems scattered across the states with its own set of school boards. But the expert also notes that it's still possible for one or two American systems to adopt Finland's ways since these agencies work independently saying, "[They] have enough autonomy to do these things if they want to."
Sahlberg said that it might even be easier for states to initiate education reforms. Finland currently has a general student population of 5.4 million individuals, while an American state's student population is a lot smaller. However, it all goes back to the drive and will to change things.
Do you think state leaders should be focusing more on following Finland's model in its education reforms? What are your thoughts about this matter? Share your ideas in the comments below.
