A New Vision
A Look at a System that Works
"There's no word for accountability in Finnish… Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
— Pasi Sahlberg
In the US the values that have inculcated our society are in support of capitalism, profit making and authoritarianism. This means we have a culture that relies on competition rather than collaboration, on compliance rather than growth and change, on standardization rather than diversity and success is defined by wealth and power. Our institutions have no values other than the pursuit of wealth and can no longer be relied on to uphold any standards of integrity. We have a hierarchy where some people are viewed with more respect than others because we place greater value on some achievements than others. And yet as individuals in this society most of us carry a different set of values. What if we, as a nation, intentionally selected the values we wanted to live by and then set out to govern and live by them? Starting with how we educate our children, how would this impact our society? This will not happen at the systemic level. It must start with the people.
What if we defined the purpose of education as supporting children to find their path to happiness, meaning and fulfillment in life. It is entirely possible to redefine and reinvent a system of education that is based on cooperation rather than competition, on collecting ideas rather than data, relating rather than teaching and diversification rather than standardization. We have it wrong. I will provide some ideas of models that empower young people to have a say in the destiny of their own lives. By eliminating the subordination of children and allowing them to participate in their own learning we will lead the way to a more responsible and engaged citizenship.
When thinking about a model that is both child centered and outperforms the US on the international PISA tests in every area, we need look no further than Finland. Finland's education system is often praised as one of the best in the world. It's consistently one of the highest performing developed countries on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an important tool for measuring education systems worldwide. It's built on principles of equality, student well-being, and trust in teachers. The objective of primary and lower secondary education in Finland is to support pupils’ growth towards humanity and ethically responsible membership of society and to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed in life.
Let’s take a look at how Finland managed to revamp an entire system of education and create a system that is not only relevant to life in the twenty-first century but also rooted in equity, children’s mental well-being and teacher professionalism. After World War II, Finland was still largely rural and recovering economically. Education reforms began with the realization that building a modern, knowledge-based society required educating everyone, not just the elite. Calls for reform grew stronger as Finland made reducing inequality and improving productivity a cornerstone of national policy. This drive to move towards eliminating inequality required an intentional approach not just in education or health, but across multiple sectors of society. Working towards this goal is an ongoing national priority. There is no quick fix, what is required is a commitment to a set of values and then never losing sight of them. Finland has been working towards this goal since the 50s.
The core philosophy in Finland is “Every child deserves the same opportunity to succeed — regardless of where they’re born, who their parents are, or how much money they have.” Finland doesn’t view equality as just economic — it’s structural, social, and cultural, and it’s been built into the national identity and policy-making for decades. So they have created laws that guarantee gender equality, parental leave, free daycare, strong labor laws and unions that protect worker rights and limit wage gaps, housing, and of course free healthcare and education at all levels. In addition to all the basic human needs Finland has recognized internet access as a legal right since 2010. Public services (education, health, banking) are digitized and accessible to everyone. Digital literacy programs in schools and libraries reduce tech-based inequality.
How has Finland achieved such a huge cultural and social shift? During the 2nd world war Finland was caught between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. While it managed to steer an independent path it was nevertheless invaded and areas were occupied by the Soviets. Any country caught up in a war zone needs national unity to recover and heal. The Germans had used scorched earth tactics in some areas and burnt towns to the ground destroying infrastructure and life in those areas. In the aftermath of the war Finland had to rebuild its economy and redefine its national identity. A strong sense of “we're all in this together” emerged which brought everyone together with the commitment to rebuild. Many reforms were framed as a way to unite the nation, reduce class tensions, and promote stability. Even conservative or elite groups supported reforms when they saw them as promoting social cohesion and economic growth. The Finnish model was built through negotiation — centrist and leftist coalitions shaped the system with gradual buy-in from the right. Finnish society emphasizes modesty, fairness, and trust — making extreme inequality culturally unacceptable.
We have seen in other countries, in the aftermath of war, as they recover from death and the destruction of entire neighborhoods, people’s homes, livelihoods, and infrastructure, how people come together in unity to create incredible social change. reshaping societies in profound ways, politically, economically, and culturally. Instead of focusing on revenge or the total devastation of their country they come together to rebuild something better. We have seen it in Germany, England, Rwanda, South Africa, and Vietnam, to name a few. While we have not experienced this kind of war in the United States we have had natural disasters that have brought people together to recover. Why is it that we humans need a tragedy to unite us in creating something new and better? Can we see the levels of discontent and disengagement of our American youth as a national tragedy and come together around that to rebuild something better. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration close to 1 in 3 adolescents in the U.S. received mental health treatment in 2023. This works out to around 8.3 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 getting counseling, medication or another treatment, with anxiety problems, behavior disorders, and depression being the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. Isn’t this a national emergency, a clear indication that something isn’t working? Can we look at the stress, anxiety and burnout of our students and imagine something greater for them? Can we see that the narrowing of the curriculum to only testable subjects leads to a loss of joy in learning and can we see that rote memorization kills curiosity and passion, collaboration and exploration? Because this is our reality and if we fail to see it we will never change it.
Finland, by contrast, prioritizes children’s mental well-being by implementing a nationwide anti-bullying policy in schools. This policy is rigorously enforced to ensure a safe learning environment. The country is committed to addressing inequality as it is often connected to bullying and mental health problems. The Finnish school system challenges the idea that children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be less successful. Instead, it strives to provide all students with an equal opportunity to excel, regardless of their background. Their system is designed to put children's overall well-being first. Within this, mental health is a key focus to make sure that people as a whole develop, and that they are well and happy. The Finnish education system prioritizes learning over testing. Unlike in many countries, there are no regular national exams. Instead, teachers assess students based on curriculum objectives. The only nationwide test, called the matriculation examination, happens at the end of high school. While compulsory schooling begins at age 6, the first year is entirely play based with no formal academic instruction. The school day is shorter and homework is much less than in the United States, and yet they outperform American students in every area.
Teachers in Finland undergo a demanding, research-based five-year master’s program that is highly competitive, with only a small number of applicants being accepted. What sets Finnish educators apart is their autonomy in selecting teaching methods, a departure from the norms in many other countries where external requirements like standardized testing and government control are prevalent. They are free to adjust their teaching content and approach to meet the needs of each student. Teachers are trained in developmental psychology focusing on how children learn rather than the content of their learning and are therefore well qualified to tailor their teaching based on the culture and context of each class. There are no labels such as special needs students attached to children. They are all included in the classroom and teaching is designed to meet the needs of each individual child. Inclusion and equality are the motivating values. This teacher autonomy aims to nurture teachers who can make informed decisions and consistently enhance their teaching techniques. Their learning is not considered complete once they graduate, it’s ongoing and they are encouraged to innovate and continue to develop their work. Consequently, teachers enjoy a high level of respect.
This level of respect for the teaching profession in Finland doesn’t exist in the United States where teachers are constantly devalued and treated as servants to deliver the will of business and political leaders with our children being treated as pawns on the chessboard. We have a long way to go but let’s begin the journey. There's a high level of trust between teachers and the government in Finland. Curriculum isn’t imposed top-down — it's co-created with the people who actually teach it. This collaboration helps Finland maintain a balanced and flexible education system rooted in real classroom experience.
The Finnish core curriculum is a national framework that outlines the goals, content, and pedagogy for education across Finland. It is developed by the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI) and revised roughly every 10 years. Local municipalities and schools adapt it to fit their context — but the national values and goals are consistent.
The curriculum focuses on developing in these 4 major areas:
Broad-based competence
Equality, well-being, and sustainable development
Student agency and participation
A joy of learning, curiosity, and growth mindset
Broad-Based Competencies (BLCs) are key 21st-century skills integrated across all subjects and they have four areas of focus. They are
thinking and learning to learn,
critical thinking, problem-solving, and curiosity,
cultural competence & multiliteracy
understanding diversity, and interpreting media
In addition to covering a broad and balanced range of subjects all children participate in interdisciplinary learning modules at least once a year (phenomenon-Based Learning) each child selecting their own project. These projects combine subjects and encourage real-world thinking and collaboration. Teachers are highly trusted to design lessons, choose materials, and assess students. There are no annual standardized assessments. All assessments are formative and created by the teachers in order to help them improve learning. Teaching is based on the curriculum, but teacher autonomy is assumed allowing flexibility in the delivery of learning. Collaboration among teachers is common, especially in cross-disciplinary themes.
Alongside rigorous learning in Finnish schools, children are also given ample opportunities for play. Science has shown us that play supports brain development, social skills, and learning readiness and Finnish educators incorporate plenty of play. In grades 1-6 all children have 15 minutes of play for every 45 minutes of instruction. Breaks are shown to Improve concentration and academic performance, reduce stress and behavioral issues and boost physical activity and well-being. If research is giving us this evidence why are we all not following it? In American schools we don’t let “children be children”, instead we set out to mold them into who we think we want them to be. If Finland can be so successful in creating a rigorous and highly successful way of educating children, we can also. But first we need to acknowledge the urgent need to do it and initiate conversations and collaboration between all the stakeholders to start the journey. And then we need the humility to admit we are doing it wrong and ask more successful school systems for help, a tall order for a country that thinks it is better than everyone else!
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/data-we-collect/nsduh-national-survey-drug-use-and-health