For years following the release of the 2001 and subsequent PISA results, edutourists visited Finland hoping to uncover their secrets. In the most recent survey, Finland's position had slipped from 2nd to 5th in reading, from 6th to 12th in mathematics and from 3rd to 5th in science. I recently talked with Pasi Sahlberg to better understand what could have contributed to this fall in the rankings. As former Director General…
read moreAndy Hargreaves, Pasi Sahlberg and Dennis Shirley Boston Globe, 28 March 2014 Monday’s hot-off-the-press report on “The New Opportunity to Lead: A Vision for Education in Massachusetts in the Next 20 Years,” commissioned by the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, presents an erroneous diagnosis of the state of education in the Commonwealth and proposes remedies that are based on ideology, not evidence. While there…
read moreMany Americans who visit Finland to examine its education system are surprised by how rarely students are required to take standardized tests during their 12 years of schooling. They learn that students are primarily assessed by multiple teacher-made tests that vary from one school to another. At the national level sample-based student assessments similar to NAEP that have no stakes for students, teachers, or schools are the main…
read moreKahdentoista vuoden ajan suomalainen koulutus on inspiroinut muiden maiden koulutuksen uudistamista. Tuoreimmat PISA-tulokset aiheuttivat kuitenkin ikävän tahran koulumme kirkkaana loistaneeseen tähteen. Tiedotusvälineet niin Suomessa kuin muuallakin raportoivat koulutuksen tason romahduksesta ja ovat asettaneet samalla kyseenalaiseksi aikaisemmat saavutuksemme kansainvälisenä vertailuissa. Suomi on nyt ajautumassa samaan…
read more