Fins onderwijs veel minder magisch! Hoge prestatiedruk i.p.v. lage, enz.

To visitors from standards-and-accountability-heavy countries such as the UK and the US, Finland’s formula can seem like magic.    There is no student testing. There are no school inspections or rankings. Students have little homework and teachers work few hours. Teachers are trusted professionals with full autonomy in the classroom, all teachers have a Master’s degree.             

 My study tour to Finland in September 2015 convinced me that this formula is indeed magic.  Why?  Because the popular version of the “Finnish story” neglects elements of the institutional context that are so hard-wired into the system that the locals hardly register them

1.Hoge prestatiedruk bij Finse leerlingen leidt tot hogere leerresultaten : haaks op cliché van lagere prestatiedruk in Finland

Third, students face performance pressure.  Sure, they do not have to take standardized tests (except on a sample basis in a few grades of primary school).  However, their futures depend in a significant way on a demanding set of matriculation exams at the end of ninth grade.  These exams cover the curriculum in Finnish, math, science and foreign languages (most students we met study at least two languages besides Finnish!).

 Scoring highly is required for entry into the most competitive upper secondary schools and for the academic track in general; over 40% of Finnish students go into a vocational track for secondary education).  Think about the incentives for performance that this creates.  In the US and LAC, standardized testing may be onerous but it has no stakes for individual students. Most LAC and US students do not face high-stakes exams until the end of upper secondary school.

2. Geen echt openbaar onderwijs:
Second, school budgets depend on enrollments.  Finland runs a national school choice system where parents and students can choose freely between the 2,600 municipal and 80 privately-managed schools and funding follows the student.  While municipalities provide infrastructure financing to municipal schools, this appears to be the only major way in which the municipal schools differ from private schools. De scholen/leerkrachten moeten (net als in Vlaanderen)  hun best doen om zoveel mogelijk lln. aan te trekken.

3.Teachers do not have job stability.  They are hired by individual schools – not school districts.  If a school director asks a teacher to leave – and it does happen – the teacher alone is responsible for finding a new position.  Just reflect on the incentives for performance that this creates.

(Dit systeem van niet benoemde lkn. biedt o.i. meer nadelen dan voordelen. We pleiten voor behoud van de benoemingen en tegelijk voor verbetering van de ontslagregeling. )