"In Finland, there is a strong sense of trust in schools and teachers
to carry out these responsibilities. There is no external inspection of
schools or standardized testing of all pupils in Finland. For our
national analysis of educational performance, we rely on testing only a
small sample of students. The United States really cannot leave
curriculum design and student assessment in the hands of schools and
teachers unless there is similar public confidence in schools and
teachers. To get there, a more coherent national system of teacher
education is one major step.
Finland is home to such a coherent national system of teacher
education. And unlike in the United States, teaching is one of the top
career choices among young Finns. Teachers in Finland are highly
regarded professionals — akin to medical doctors and lawyers. There are
eight universities educating teachers in Finland, and all their programs
have the same high academic standards. Furthermore, a research-based
master’s degree is the minimum requirement to teach in Finland.
Teaching in Finland is, in fact, such a desired profession that the
University of Helsinki, where I teach part-time, received 2,300
applicants this spring for 120 spots in its primary school teacher
education program. In this teacher education program and the seven
others, teachers are prepared to design their own curricula, assess
their own pupils’ progress, and continuously improve their own teaching
and their school. Until the United States has improved its teacher
education, its teachers cannot enjoy similar prestige, public confidence
and autonomy."
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