Kevin Shelton, JHS Principal, Finland Blog - Day 1

On November 8th, I left Johnsburg, IL to meet up with a small delegation of principals traveling to Helsinki, Finland to visit their National Board of Education, The Association of Finnish Principals, and to visit multiple schools first hand to learn more about how their educational system. The National Association of Secondary School Principals facilitated this trip, and G.A. Buie, the current President of NASSP, has been our delegation leader.  In addition to G.A and myself, the delegation itself is made up of the following individuals:

• Diane Cooper, Principal, St. Joseph Academy, St. Louis, MO
• Ann Davis, Clinical Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina in Greensboro
• Carol Rigby, Headmaster, Taveres and Apopka Middle/High School, Gallman, MS
• Bill Truesdale, Principal, Chicago Public Schools

It is a phenomenal group of individuals, and NASSP and IPA are represented well by these administrators. Bill Truesdale is a fellow IPA member, so 2 of the 6 delegates here in Helsinki are members of the Illinois Principal Association.  It has been nice to have another IPA member to share first hand how the information we are receiving could be applied to our educational system back in Illinois. 

Our first meeting today, Monday, November 10 with Leo Pahkin, Councilor of Education at the Finnish National Board of Education.  We were there for three hours, and the time flew as shared the different aspects that make up the foundation of their educational system.  The link to the Prezi that was used for his presentation to us is here.  If for some reason the hyperlink doesn't work, the web address is https://prezi.com/jnm83nw9fob3/education-system/.  He was warm, engaging, and very passionate about how they have approached education in his country, and the positive results that have occurred as a result of this approach.

I would encourage you to look at the Prezi, but I have also included some quick notes from our time with him below:

• 8-9 different political parties in Finland from left to right wing, yet education is not a big debate.  It remains constant despite elections.
  
  
• Students need to be prepared when they leave school to do something in the work force with their hands or with heads.
  
  
• Totally free education for students from when they are born.  Government pays for pre-school (four hours a day) from birth to 6 years old if parents cannot afford it.  These pre-school teachers are trained in universities.
  
  
• Students attend their basic education from ages 7-16.  Then they must take a test and make a choice between the traditional upper secondary schools or a vocational school.  Both paths can lead to going to a university, and the students choosing the traditional vs. vocational track is almost 50/50.  Students take the PISA test before they make this choice in tracks.
  
  
• In the late 60’s & 70’s PISA scores were not good.  In 1985, they switched their classrooms from lower, middle and upper level classes to all students in the same classroom.   Students started to be given more autonomy to work at their own speed (faster or slower), with the teacher being more of a guide to help students.
  
  
• They struggle with male students in getting them to read more. 
  
  
• They use distance learning for smaller, rural schools with different content areas.
  
  
• They have a framework curriculum that they started in 1994 (updated in 2003), and teachers get to choose how to meet that framework in their classroom.  Some use textbooks, some use the Internet, but whatever resources they use in class, the teacher chooses them. 
  
  
• Their classes are set up to consist of 38 lessons that are 45 minutes each (HS can be longer – more minutes).   
  
  
• There are 24 Universities in Finland, and the same number of Polytechnic Universities/Schools.
  
  
• 4,000-5,000 students want to become teachers, and only 700-800 are chosen.  The government looks at how many teaching jobs they anticipate will be open, and limit the number of students going into this profession at their universities.  Boys struggle more in this area, as girls more communicative and are traditionally better readers overall.   
  
  
• After 3-4 years of HS education, students must move on to adult education, which is now in evening classes.
  
  
• Look at the Prezi for the five cornerstones of their educational policy. 
  
  
• They offer EXTENSIVE special education in grades 1-2 for reading, writing and math.  He used an example of a dyslexic student and how important it was to get them the tools they need as early as possible so they can use these tools throughout their educational career (because it will be a lifetime disability they will have to compensate for).  Special education decreases in their schools, as the students get older.
  
  
• They don’t standardize test their students very often.  Only the PISA and their matriculation test (that determines traditional or vocational track when they are 16) are the major tests that students see.  Students see these tests as being very meaningful to them.

I will have more information to share as this experience continues.  My greatest hope is that all administrators attending this opportunity in Finland will be able to bring back practical ideas to share with our state and national principal associations so we can analyze what aspects can be practically applied to our own educational systems at the local, state and national levels. 
Tomorrow we start our school visits, and I will be sharing more of what our delegation has learned here in Finland.   

Kind regards,

Kevin Shelton
Principal, Johnsburg High School
IPA NASSP Coordinator