This link has been bookmarked by 369 people and liked by 7 people. It was first bookmarked on 29 Dec 2011, by someone privately.
usman ahmad , milu milu , Dan McCrea , Michelle Eudy , Natalie Beller , Jennifer Kaufenberg , 暐婷 黃
-
20 May 12
-
more uncomfortable. In his book Sahlberg quotes a line from Finnish writer named Samuli Paronen: "Real wi
-
t competition betwe
-
Finally, in Finland, school choice is noticeably not a priority, nor is engaging the private sector at all. Which brings us back to the silence after Sahlberg's comment at the Dwight School that schools like Dwight don't exist in Finland.
-
ince the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every chil
-
should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.
-
In the Finnish view, as Sahlberg describes it, this means that schools should be healthy, safe environments for children. This starts with the basics. Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance.
-
In fact, since academic excellence wasn't a particular priority on the Finnish to-do list, when Finland's students scored so high on the first PISA survey in 2001, many Finns thought the results must be a mistake. But subsequent PISA tests confirmed that Finland -- unlike, say, very similar countries such as Norway -- was producing academic excellence through its particular policy focus on equity.
-
ith America's manufacturing industries now in decline, the goal of educational policy in the U.S. -- as articulated by most everyone from President Obama on down -- is to preserve American competitiveness by doing the same thing. Finland's experience suggests that to win at that game, a country has to prepare not just some of its population well, but all of its population well, for the new economy. To possess some of the best schools in the world might still not be good enough if there are children being left behind.
-
The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad
-
-
12 May 12
Lori GOmbartFinnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play.
-
Finland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play
-
this means that schools should be healthy, safe environments for children. This starts with the basics. Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance.
-
first PISA survey in 2001
-
Finland's experience suggests that to win at that game, a country has to prepare not just some of its population well, but all of its population well, for the new economy
-
Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.
-
-
03 May 12
-
13 Apr 12
-
10 Apr 12
-
Finland is a relatively homogeneous country -- as of 2010, just 4.6 percent of Finnish residents had been born in another country, compared with 12.7 percent in the United States. But the number of foreign-born residents in Finland doubled during the decade leading up to 2010, and the country didn't lose its edge in education. Immigrants tended to concentrate in certain areas, causing some schools to become much more mixed than others, yet there has not been much change in the remarkable lack of variation between Finnish schools in the PISA surveys across the same period.
-
-
01 Apr 12
-
29 Mar 12
-
27 Mar 12
-
Home and Work BookmarksWhat Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success via @theatlantic http://t.co/zbUwioZ0 #edreform #p2 #education
-
26 Mar 12
Allison LettsFinland's "school success" is like winning the NIT tournament. Not impressive. #edreform http://t.co/uHb2Ea34
-
23 Mar 12
-
19 Mar 12
-
Michel Bauwens"The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence. "
-
nickfury21The Finnish model of education is so radical from how America approaches education but it works. Finland consistently scores in the top of the world in education. This article discusses some of the mechanical and philosophical differences between Finland and America when it comes to education.
Finland Anu Partanen learning Pasi Sahlberg education The Atlantic
-
Daniel Ballantyne@ballantynedj: What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic http://t.co/DnlBBhC3 via @addthis
-
18 Mar 12
-
29 Feb 12
-
19 Feb 12
-
18 Feb 12
-
15 Feb 12
-
10 Feb 12
sarah jacobs2/12/12
-
East Asian model
-
because Finnish schools assign less
-
homework and engage children
-
in more creative p
-
no private schools in Finland
-
even they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees
-
no private universities, either
-
How can you keep track of students' performance if you don't test them constantly?
-
How can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do you provide school choice?
-
, Finland has no standardized tests
-
only exception is what's called the National Matriculation Exam, which everyone takes at the end of a voluntary upper-secondary school
-
public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves
-
these reports are based on individualized grading by each teacher
-
all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility
-
A master's degree is required to enter the profession
-
"Real winners do not compete."
-
There are no lists of best schools or teachers in Finland
-
The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation.
-
school choice is noticeably not a priority
-
Schools are a shop and parents can buy what ever they want. In Finland parents can also choose. But the options are all the same."
-
was never excellence. It was equity
-
every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location.
-
Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance.
-
after the financial crisis and Occupy Wall Street movement have brought the problems of inequality in America into such sharp focus
-
Finland is a small nation with a much more homogeneous population than the United States.
-
But the number of foreign-born residents in Finland doubled during the decade leading up to 2010, and the country didn't lose its edge in education
-
, Norway is small and not especially diverse overall, but unlike Finland it has taken an approach to education that is more American than Finnish. The result? Mediocre performance in the PISA survey.
-
there were 18 states in the U.S. in 2010 with an identical or significantly smaller percentage of foreign-born residents than Finland.
-
they did so because they realized that to be competitive, Finland couldn't rely on manufacturing or its scant natural resources and instead had to invest in a knowledge-based economy.
-
To possess some of the best schools in the world might still not be good enough if there are children being left behind.
-
Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.
-
The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad.
-
-
09 Feb 12
-
08 Feb 12
-
05 Feb 12
Kylie HiemstraAn article about how we should take more tips from the wildly successful Finnish school system.
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
-
02 Feb 12
-
01 Feb 12
-
Mike GwaltneyFinland Phenomenon? Emphasis on Equity over Excellence, and Collaboration over Competition: http://t.co/90zSxlRY #edreform #PBLchat #edchat
-
28 Jan 12
Peter Sullivan"What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success"
-
27 Jan 12
-
25 Jan 12
-
23 Jan 12
-
22 Jan 12
Greg O'ConnorEveryone agrees the United States needs to improve its education system dramatically, but how? One of the hottest trends in education reform lately is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education superpower, Finland. Trouble is, when it comes to the lessons that Finnish schools have to offer, most of the discussion seems to be missing the point.
-
21 Jan 12
dan ruffFinland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play
-
Finland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play
-
there are no private schools in Finland
-
None is allowed to charge tuition fees. There are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person in Finland attends public school, whether for pre-K or a Ph.D
-
Finland has no standardized tests
-
Matriculation Exam,
-
everyone takes at the end
-
high school
-
There's no word for accountability in Finnish
-
"Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted
-
in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility.
-
Americans love to talk about competition
-
nothing makes Finns more uncomfortable
-
"Real winners do not compete."
-
The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation.
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn
-
Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality
-
Finland's population of 5.4 million can be compared to many an American state -- after all, most American education is managed at the state level
-
It is possible to create equality. And perhaps even more important -- as a challenge to the American way of thinking about education reform -- Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity
-
More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad
-
-
20 Jan 12
-
19 Jan 12
-
18 Jan 12
-
-
Yet one of the most significant things Sahlberg said passed practically unnoticed. "Oh," he mentioned at one point, "and there are no private schools in Finland."
-
For starters, Finland has no standardized tests. The only exception is what's called the National Matriculation Exam, which everyone takes at the end of a voluntary upper-secondary school, roughly the equivalent of American high school.
Instead, the public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves. All children receive a report card at the end of each semester, but these reports are based on individualized grading by each teacher.
-
hat matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility.
-
The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation.
-
the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
That this point is almost always ignored or brushed aside in the U.S. seems especially poignant at the moment, after the financial crisis and Occupy Wall Street movement have brought the problems of inequality in America into such sharp focus. The chasm between those who can afford $35,000 in tuition per child per year -- or even just the price of a house in a good public school district -- and the other "99 percent" is painfully plain to see.
-
they realized that to be competitive, Finland couldn't rely on manufacturing or its scant natural resources and instead had to invest in a knowledge-based economy.
-
To possess some of the best schools in the world might still not be good enough if there are children being left behind
-
And perhaps even more important -- as a challenge to the American way of thinking about education reform -- Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.
The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad.
-
-
-
. The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation
-
That this point is almost always ignored or brushed aside in the U.S. seems especially poignant at the moment, after the financial crisis and Occupy Wall Street movement have brought the problems of inequality in America into such sharp focus. The chasm between those who can afford $35,000 in tuition per child per year -- or even just the price of a house in a good public school district -- and the other "99 percent" is painfully plain to see.
-
while Americans love to talk about competition, Sahlberg points out that nothing makes Finns more uncomfortable.
-
"Real winners do not compete."
-
The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed. More equity at home might just be what America needs to be more competitive abroad.
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity
-
t every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.
-
"Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
-
-
Sirkku Nikamaa-LinderCompared with the stereotype of the East Asian model -- long hours of exhaustive cramming and rote memorization -- Finland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play. All this has led to a continuous stream of foreign delegations making the pilgrimage to Finland to visit schools and talk with the nation's education experts, and constant coverage in the worldwide media marveling at the Finnish miracle
-
17 Jan 12
-
Jenny LucaRich people in Finland send their kids to public schools rather than putting their money behind dismantling them. http://t.co/gufVfb1I
-
ecmerrillYet one of the most significant things Sahlberg said passed practically unnoticed. "Oh," he mentioned at one point, "and there are no private schools in Finland."
This notion may seem difficult for an American to digest, but it's true. Only a small number of independent schools exist in Finland, and even they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees. There are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person in Finland attends public school, whether for pre-K or a Ph.D.
The irony of Sahlberg's making this comment during a talk at the Dwight School seemed obvious. Like many of America's best schools, Dwight is a private institution that costs high-school students upward of $35,000 a year to attend -- not to mention that Dwight, in particular, is run for profit, an increasing trend in the U.S. Yet no one in the room commented on Sahlberg's statement. I found this surprising. Sahlberg himself did not. -
16 Jan 12
-
<div id="header" class="nav"><br/> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="/" id="atlanticLogo" title="The Atlantic Home">The Atlantic Home</a><br/> <br/> <div id="headerRight" class="clearfix"><br/><br/> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><br/> <tbody><tr><br/> <td><br/> <div id="siteDate">Monday, January 16, 2012</div><br/> </td><br/> <td><br/> <form id="search" action="/search/" method="get"><br/> <fieldset><br/> <div class="searchin"><br/> <input type="text" name="q" value="" id="query"><br/> <button type="submit" id="searchBtn">Go</button><br/> </div><br/> </fieldset><br/> </form><!-- /search --><br/> </td><br/> <td><br/> <div id="followNav"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" id="followLink" href="/follow-the-atlantic/">Follow the Atlantic »</a><br/> <br/> <div id="followIcons"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/TheAtlantic/" title="Twitter"><img height="23" alt="Twitter" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/twitter.png"></a><br/> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.facebook.com/TheAtlantic" title="Facebook"><img height="23" alt="Facebook" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/facebook.png"></a><br/> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="/follow-the-atlantic/#rssFeeds" title="RSS"><img height="23" alt="RSS" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/rss-30x30.png"></a><br/> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-atlantic-magazine-digital/id397599894?mt=8" title="iPhone App"><img height="23" alt="iPhone" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/iphone.png"></a><br/> </div><br/> </div><br/> </td><br/> </tr><br/> </tbody></table><br/><br/> </div><!-- /headerRight --><br/> <br/> <ul id="menu"><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navPolitics"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/" class="navLink" title="Politics">Politics</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navBusiness"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/" class="navLink" title="Business">Business</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navEntertainment"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/" class="navLink" title="Entertainment">Entertainment</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navInternational"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/" class="navLink" title="International">International</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navTechnology"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/" class="navLink" title="Technology">Technology</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navNational" class="selected"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/" class="navLink" title="National">National</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navHealth"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/" class="navLink" title="Health">Health</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navMagazine"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/" class="navLink" title="Magazine">Magazine</a><br/> </li><br/> <br/> <br/> <li id="navVideo"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" name="&lpos=Top Nav" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/" class="navLink" title="video">video</a><br/> </li><br/> </ul><br/> <div id="menuNavExpanded"><br/> <br/> <br/><div id="navPoliticsExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <div style="position: relative; top: -12px;"><br/> <img style="float: left; margin-right: 5px; border: 0pt none;" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/specialreports/election-2012/checkbox-large.png"><br/> <div style="font-family: 'Arial black',Arial,sans-serif; color: rgb(191, 0, 0); text-transform: uppercase; font-weight: bold;"><br/> ELECTION 2012<br/> </div><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/special-report/election-2012/"><br/> <strong><br/> Full Coverage <br/> <img src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/arrows/right-arrow-blue.png"><br/> </strong><br/> </a><br/> </div><br/> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/the-economy-may-not-hurt-obama-in-november-after-all/251381/"><img width="55" title="The Economy Could Help Obama in November" alt="The Economy Could Help Obama in November" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/014412_obamagrin.navigation.reuters.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/the-economy-may-not-hurt-obama-in-november-after-all/251381/">The Economy Could Help Obama in November</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/charlie-cook/" class="author">Charlie Cook</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/photos-of-the-day-the-gingriches-around-the-world/251406/"><img width="55" title="Photos: The Gingriches Around the World" alt="Photos: The Gingriches Around the World" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/014301_newtgingrich.navigation.reuters.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/photos-of-the-day-the-gingriches-around-the-world/251406/">Photos: The Gingriches Around the World</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/david-a-graham/" class="author">David A. Graham</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/wishful-thinking-watch-obama-is-a-great-president-romney-is-honorable/251350/"><img width="55" title="Why Pundits Praise Undeserving Leaders" alt="Why Pundits Praise Undeserving Leaders" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/121711_romneyames.navigation.getty.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/01/wishful-thinking-watch-obama-is-a-great-president-romney-is-honorable/251350/">Why Pundits Praise Undeserving Leaders</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/conor-friedersdorf/" class="author">Conor Friedersdorf</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navBusinessExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <br/><div class="ad adNavlogo"><br/><br/> <span class="sponsorText">Presented by</span> <script type="text/javascript"><br/>//<![CDATA[<br/> if (typeof window.dartOrd == 'undefined') {<br/> window.dartOrd = ('000000000' + Math.ceil(Math.random()*1000000000).toString()).slice(-9);<br/> }<br/> if (typeof(window.bizoDart) == 'undefined') {<br/> if (typeof(window.Atlantic) =='object' && typeof(window.Atlantic.getBizoDartString) == 'function') {<br/> window.bizoDart = Atlantic.getBizoDartString();<br/> } else {<br/> window.bizoDart = '';<br/> } <br/> }<br/> jsProperties = 'TheAtlanticOnline/channel_business;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=navlogo;sz=88x31,215x64;tile=2';<br/> document.write('<' + 'script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_business;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=navlogo;sz=88x31,215x64;tile=2;' + window.bizoDart + 'ord=' + window.dartOrd + '" id="adNavlogoScript"></' + 'script' + '>');<br/>//]><br/> </script><script type="text/javascript" id="adNavlogoScript" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_business;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=navlogo;sz=88x31,215x64;tile=2;ord=570380239"></script><a rel="nofollow" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3bfe/0/0/%2a/m;223345908;0-0;1;32633129;21-88/31;35668155/35685996/1;;%7Eaopt=2/1/3/0;%7Esscs=%3fhttps://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Click here to find out more!" src="http://s0.2mdn.net/viewad/1484728/2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a><br/><noscript><div><a rel="nofollow" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_business;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=navlogo;sz=88x31,215x64;tile=2" title=""><img alt="" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_business;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=navlogo;sz=88x31,215x64;tile=2" /></a></div></noscript><br/></div><br/><script type="text/javascript"><br/>//<![CDATA[<br/>if( $(".adNavlogo").html().search("grey.gif") != -1 ){<br/> $(".adNavlogo").hide();<br/>}<br/>//]><br/></script><br/> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/is-trademark-infringement-fraud/251358/"><img width="55" title="Is Trademark Infringement Fraud?" alt="Is Trademark Infringement Fraud?" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/044740_55_Trademark.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/is-trademark-infringement-fraud/251358/">Is Trademark Infringement Fraud?</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/megan-mcardle/" class="author voice">Megan McArdle</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/this-is-why-you-dont-go-to-the-gym/251332/"><img width="55" title="This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym" alt="This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/044711_55_gym.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/this-is-why-you-dont-go-to-the-gym/251332/">This Is Why You Don't Go to the Gym</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/derek-thompson/" class="author voice">Derek Thompson</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/how-to-solve-the-teacher-pay-puzzle/251343/"><img width="55" title="How to Solve the Teacher Pay Puzzle" alt="How to Solve the Teacher Pay Puzzle" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/044542_55_Classroom.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/01/how-to-solve-the-teacher-pay-puzzle/251343/">How to Solve the Teacher Pay Puzzle</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/jordan-weissmann/" class="author">Jordan Weissmann</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navEntertainmentExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/einstein-anne-lamott-and-steve-jobs-on-intuition-vs-rationality/251295/"><img width="55" title="Albert Einstein On Intuition vs. Rationality" alt="Albert Einstein On Intuition vs. Rationality" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/035929_APEINSTIENSBANNER.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/einstein-anne-lamott-and-steve-jobs-on-intuition-vs-rationality/251295/">Albert Einstein On Intuition vs. Rationality</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/maria-popova/" class="author">Maria Popova</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/does-god-care-whether-tim-tebow-wins-on-saturday/251273/"><img width="55" title="Does God Really Care If Tim Tebow Wins?" alt="Does God Really Care If Tim Tebow Wins?" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/035954_tebowCROP_edited-1.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/does-god-care-whether-tim-tebow-wins-on-saturday/251273/">Does God Really Care If Tim Tebow Wins?</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/owen-strachan/" class="author">Owen Strachan</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/how-to-turn-a-great-movie-into-a-great-tv-show/251216/"><img width="55" title="Turning a Great Movie Into a Great TV Show" alt="Turning a Great Movie Into a Great TV Show" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/040015_fallon_thefirm_post_edited-1.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/01/how-to-turn-a-great-movie-into-a-great-tv-show/251216/">Turning a Great Movie Into a Great TV Show</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/kevin-fallon/" class="author">Kevin Fallon</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navInternationalExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/killing-iranian-nuclear-scientists-is-counterproductive-and-wrong/251340/"><img width="55" title="Killing Iranian Nuclear Scientists is Wrong" alt="Killing Iranian Nuclear Scientists is Wrong" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/101426_iran_Jan12_NB.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/killing-iranian-nuclear-scientists-is-counterproductive-and-wrong/251340/">Killing Iranian Nuclear Scientists is Wrong</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/ali-vaez-charles-ferguson/" class="author">Ali Vaez & Charles Ferguson</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/its-time-for-america-to-negotiate-with-the-taliban/251354/"><img width="55" title="American Must Talk to the Taliban" alt="American Must Talk to the Taliban" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/101556_dr_jan13_NB.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/its-time-for-america-to-negotiate-with-the-taliban/251354/">American Must Talk to the Taliban</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/david-rohde/" class="author">David Rohde</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/do-we-even-need-the-strait-of-hormuz/251348/"><img width="55" title="Do We Need Hormuz? " alt="Do We Need Hormuz? " src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/101705_hormuz_jan13_NB.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/do-we-even-need-the-strait-of-hormuz/251348/">Do We Need Hormuz? </a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/hamed-aleaziz-robin-mills/" class="author">Hamed Aleaziz & Robin Mills</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navTechnologyExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-magical-and-ridiculous-gadgets-of-tomorrow-or-the-one-post-to-read-about-ces/251288/"><img width="55" title="The Ridiculous Gadgets of Tomorrow" alt="The Ridiculous Gadgets of Tomorrow" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/091912_fuji_330.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-magical-and-ridiculous-gadgets-of-tomorrow-or-the-one-post-to-read-about-ces/251288/">The Ridiculous Gadgets of Tomorrow</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/brian-lam/" class="author">Brian Lam</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-author-of-sopa-is-caught-violating-a-copyright/251334/"><img width="55" title="SOPA Author Caught Violating a Copyright" alt="SOPA Author Caught Violating a Copyright" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/091757_smithsopa.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/the-author-of-sopa-is-caught-violating-a-copyright/251334/">SOPA Author Caught Violating a Copyright</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/the-atlantic-wire/" class="author">The Atlantic Wire</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/who-you-are-on-facebook-is-probably-pretty-much-who-you-are/251318/"><img width="55" title="Facebook Personas Quite Like Offline Ones" alt="Facebook Personas Quite Like Offline Ones" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/091349_boy_with_computer_thumb.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/who-you-are-on-facebook-is-probably-pretty-much-who-you-are/251318/">Facebook Personas Quite Like Offline Ones</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/megan-garber/" class="author">Megan Garber</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navNationalExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/false-equivalence-the-ur-document/251335/"><img width="55" title="False Equivalence: The Ur-Document " alt="False Equivalence: The Ur-Document " src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/040501_nytimes-nav.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/false-equivalence-the-ur-document/251335/">False Equivalence: The Ur-Document </a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/james-fallows/" class="author voice">James Fallows</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/for-the-prosecution-justice-clarence-thomas/251309/"><img width="55" title="Clarence Thomas's Prosecution Bias" alt="Clarence Thomas's Prosecution Bias" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/040056_thomas_2-nav.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/for-the-prosecution-justice-clarence-thomas/251309/">Clarence Thomas's Prosecution Bias</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/andrew-cohen/" class="author">Andrew Cohen</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/the-supreme-courts-religious-double-standard/251263/"><img width="55" title="SCOTUS and Religious Double Standards" alt="SCOTUS and Religious Double Standards" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/042857_church_and_state-nav.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/01/the-supreme-courts-religious-double-standard/251263/">SCOTUS and Religious Double Standards</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/wendy-kaminer/" class="author">Wendy Kaminer</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navHealthExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-entirely-defensible-fad-for-limited-edition-barrel-aged-gin/251251/"><img width="55" title="The Entirely Defensible<br> Fad for Barrel-Aged Gin" alt="The Entirely Defensible<br> Fad for Barrel-Aged Gin" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/091613_nav_RansomPost-thumb-615x300-74514.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/the-entirely-defensible-fad-for-limited-edition-barrel-aged-gin/251251/">The Entirely Defensible<br> Fad for Barrel-Aged Gin</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/clay-risen/" class="author">Clay Risen</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/the-number-one-celebrity-beauty-secret-revealed/251290/"><img width="55" title="The No. 1 Beauty Secret" alt="The No. 1 Beauty Secret" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/091353_nav_screen-shot-2012-01-12-at-101018-am_atlantic_thumb.png"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/the-number-one-celebrity-beauty-secret-revealed/251290/">The No. 1 Beauty Secret</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/kasia-cieplak-mayr-von-baldegg/" class="author">Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/why-we-need-to-ban-the-use-of-antibiotics-in-farm-animals-now/251225/"><img width="55" title="Why We Need to Ban<br> Antibiotics in Animals" alt="Why We Need to Ban<br> Antibiotics in Animals" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/091135_nav_main_shutterstock_60843100-thumb-615x300-74460.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/01/why-we-need-to-ban-the-use-of-antibiotics-in-farm-animals-now/251225/">Why We Need to Ban<br> Antibiotics in Animals</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/marion-nestle/" class="author">Marion Nestle</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navMagazineExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/making-it-in-america/8844/"><img width="55" title="Making It in America: Jobs and the Future" alt="Making It in America: Jobs and the Future" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/104142_davidson-smalljpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/making-it-in-america/8844/">Making It in America: Jobs and the Future</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/adam-davidson/" class="author">Adam Davidson</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/the-autumn-of-joan-didion/8851/"><img width="55" title="The Triumph and Disaster of Joan Didion" alt="The Triumph and Disaster of Joan Didion" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/104256_didion-small.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/the-autumn-of-joan-didion/8851/">The Triumph and Disaster of Joan Didion</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/caitlin-flanagan/" class="author">Caitlin Flanagan</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/america-at-work/8840/"><img width="55" title="America at Work: Photos of Economic Uncertainty" alt="America at Work: Photos of Economic Uncertainty" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/104229_america-small.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/01/america-at-work/8840/">America at Work: Photos of Economic Uncertainty</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> <br/> <br/><div id="navVideoExpanded" class="navExpanded"><br/> <div class="sponsor"> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2V" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><span class="sponsorText">Presented By</span><img alt="" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/ads/104833_2-Atlantic_Sub_V19_Atl_Red_86_88x31.jpg"></a> </div><br/> <div class="links"><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/visit-the-oldest-piano-shop-in-paris/251109/"><img width="55" title="The Oldest Piano Shop in Paris" alt="The Oldest Piano Shop in Paris" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/034208_piano_nav.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/visit-the-oldest-piano-shop-in-paris/251109/">The Oldest Piano Shop in Paris</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/kasia-cieplak-mayr-von-baldegg/" class="author">Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/a-gorgeous-floating-crystal-inspired-by-alexander-graham-bells-kites/251224/"><img width="55" title="A Crystal-Inspired Floating Sculpture" alt="A Crystal-Inspired Floating Sculpture" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/034030_kite_nav.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/a-gorgeous-floating-crystal-inspired-by-alexander-graham-bells-kites/251224/">A Crystal-Inspired Floating Sculpture</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/kasia-cieplak-mayr-von-baldegg/" class="author">Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> <div class="linkContent"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/on-space-love-and-carl-sagans-cosmic-mix-tape/251070/"><img width="55" title="Carl Sagan's Cosmic Mix Tape" alt="Carl Sagan's Cosmic Mix Tape" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/navbars/033820_voyagers_nav.jpg"></a><br/> <br/> <h4 class="headline"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/on-space-love-and-carl-sagans-cosmic-mix-tape/251070/">Carl Sagan's Cosmic Mix Tape</a></h4><br/><br/> <span class="author"><span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/kasia-cieplak-mayr-von-baldegg/" class="author">Kasia Cieplak-Mayr von Baldegg</a></span></span><br/> </div><!-- /linkContent --><br/> </div> <!-- /links --><br/></div> <!-- /navExpanded --> </div><br/> <br/> </div> <!--/header --><br/> <br/><br/> <div class="middle"><br/> <br/> <div class="contentColumn singleContent"><br/><div id="profile"><br/><br/> <br/> <br/><br/> <br/> <div class="profileDescription"><br/> <br/> <p class="bio"><br/> <span class="authors"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/anu-partanen/" class="author">Anu Partanen</a></span> <br/> - Anu Partanen is a Finnish journalist based in New York City. She is writing a book about what America can learn from Nordic societies.<br/><br/><br/> </p><br/><br/> <br/> <ul class="bioTools"><br/> <li class="last-child"><a rel="nofollow" href="/anu-partanen" title="All Posts by Partanen">All Posts</a></li><br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> </ul><br/> </div><br/><br/></div><!-- /bloggerProfile --><div id="article"><br/> <br/><br/><table id="toolsTop" class="articleTools"><br/> <tbody><tr><br/> <td class="share"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" class="addthis_button" title="Share this"><br/> <img width="9" height="9" alt="Share" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/icons/social/share.gif"> Share<br/> </a><br/><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" class="addthis_button_facebook at300b" title="Share on Facebook"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_facebook"></span></a><br/><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&winname=addthis&pub=atlanticonline&source=tbx-250&lng=en-US&s=linkedin&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fnational%2Farchive%2F2011%2F12%2Fwhat-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success%2F250564%2F&title=What%20Americans%20Keep%20Ignoring%20About%20Finland%27s%20School%20Success%20-%20The%20Atlantic&ate=AT-atlanticonline/-/-/4f14b3f76b787c60/1&frommenu=1&uid=4f14b3f79bd69ae2&ct=1&tt=0" class="addthis_button_linkedin at300b" title="Share on LinkedIn" target="_blank"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_linkedin"></span></a><br/><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" class="addthis_button_twitter at300b" title="Share on Twitter"><span class="at300bs at15nc at15t_twitter"></span></a><br/> </td><br/><br/> <td class="nextPreviousLink"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/drivers-ed/250662/">«</a><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/drivers-ed/250662/">Previous National</a><br/> | <br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/make-your-own-energy/250705/">Next National</a><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/make-your-own-energy/250705/">»</a><br/> </td><br/><br/><br/> <td class="emailPrintLink"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php" class="addthis_button_email" title="Email this"><br/> <img width="9" height="7" alt="Email" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/icons/social/email.gif"><br/> Email<br/> </a><br/><br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/print/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/" class="print" title="Print this"><br/> <img width="9" height="12" alt="Print" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/front/images/icons/social/print.gif"><br/> Print<br/> </a><br/> </td><br/> </tr><br/></tbody></table><!-- /verticalTools --><br/><!--[if IE]><br/><style type="text/css"><br/>/*<br/>Annoyingly, IE puts 4 extra pixels above the iframe,<br/>so we add 4px to the element's top style to compensate<br/>*/<br/>#thanksForSharing .hide {<br/> top: 5px !important;<br/>}<br/>/*<br/> IE doesn't respect z-indexes of transparent elements relative to<br/> iframes, so we apply a white background and set the opacity to 0<br/>*/<br/>#thanksForSharing .hide {<br/> background-color: #fff !important;<br/> opacity: 0;<br/> -ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0)";<br/> filter: alpha(opacity=0);<br/>}<br/></style><br/><![endif]--><br/><div style="width: 336px; height: 280px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(231, 228, 223); position: absolute; display: none; left: -30px; box-shadow: 0pt 5px 5px 7px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); z-index: 9999;" id="thanksForSharing"><br/> <div style="position: relative; width: 336px; height: 280px; top: 0pt; left: 0pt; right: 0pt; bottom: 0pt; display: block; z-index: 9999;" id="thanksForSharingInner"><br/> <a rel="nofollow" style="display: block; position: absolute; height: 50px; width: 50px; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; right: 0px; top: 1px; z-index: 9999;" href="#" class="hide" title="Close"><br/> <span style="display: none;">Close</span><br/> </a><br/> <div class="ad adSharingContainer"><br/> <iframe style="width: 336px; height: 280px;" scrolling="no" id="thanksForSharingIframe" class="ad adSharing" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"></iframe><br/> </div> <br/> </div><br/></div><br/><script type="text/javascript"><br/> function plusOneCallback () {<br/> $(document).trigger('share');<br/> }<br/><br/> $(document).ready(function() { <br/> var iframeUrl = null;<br/><br/> var toolsClicked = false;<br/> $('#toolsTop').click(function() {<br/> toolsClicked = 'top';<br/> });<br/> $('#toolsBottom').click(function() {<br/> toolsClicked = 'bottom';<br/> });<br/> $('#thanksForSharing a.hide').click(function() {<br/> $('#thanksForSharing').hide();<br/> });<br/> var onShareClickHandler = function() { <br/> var top = parseInt($(this).css('top').replace(/px/, ''), 10);<br/> toolsClicked = (top > 600) ? 'bottom' : 'top';<br/> };<br/> var onIframeReady = function(iframe) {<br/> var win = iframe.contentWindow;<br/> // Don't show the box if there's no ad in it<br/> if (win.$('.ad').children().length == 1) {<br/> return;<br/> }<br/><br/> var visibleAds = win.$('.ad').filter(function() {<br/> return !($(this).css('display') == 'none');<br/> });<br/> if (visibleAds.length == 0) {<br/> // Ad is hidden, so don't show<br/> return;<br/> }<br/> if (win.$('.ad').hasClass('adNotLoaded')) {<br/> // Ad failed to load so don't show<br/> return;<br/> }<br/> <br/> $('#thanksForSharing').css('display', 'block');<br/> var top;<br/> if(toolsClicked == 'bottom' && $('#toolsBottom').length) {<br/> top = $('#toolsBottom')[0].offsetTop + $('#toolsBottom').height() - 310;<br/> } else {<br/> top = $('#toolsTop')[0].offsetTop + $('#toolsTop').height() + 10;<br/> }<br/><br/> $('#thanksForSharing').css('left', (-$('#toolsTop').offset().left + 60) + 'px');<br/> $('#thanksForSharing').css('top', top + 'px');<br/> };<br/> var onShare = function() {<br/> // Close "Share successful!" AddThis plugin popup<br/> if (window._atw && window._atw.clb && $('#at15s:visible').length) {<br/> _atw.clb();<br/> }<br/> <br/> if (iframeUrl == null) {<br/> return;<br/> }<br/> <br/> $('#thanksForSharingIframe').attr('src', null);<br/> $('#thanksForSharingIframe').load(function() {<br/> var iframe = this;<br/> var win = iframe.contentWindow;<br/> if (win.loaded) {<br/> onIframeReady(iframe);<br/> } else {<br/> win.$(iframe.contentDocument).ready(function() {<br/> onIframeReady(iframe);<br/> })<br/> }<br/> });<br/> };<br/> if (window.addthis) {<br/> addthis.addEventListener('addthis.ready', function() {<br/> $('.articleTools .share').mouseover(function() {<br/> $('#at15s').unbind('click', onShareClickHandler);<br/> $('#at15s').bind('click', onShareClickHandler);<br/> });<br/> });<br/> addthis.addEventListener('addthis.menu.share', function(evt) {<br/> onShare();<br/> });<br/> }<br/> // This 'share' event is used for testing, so one can call<br/> // $(document).trigger('share') to get the thank you for<br/> // sharing box to appear.<br/> $(document).bind('share', function(event) {<br/> onShare();<br/> });<br/> if (!window.FB || (window.FB && !window.FB._apiKey)) {<br/> // Hook into the fbAsyncInit function and register our listener there<br/> var oldFbAsyncInit = (window.fbAsyncInit) ? window.fbAsyncInit : (function() { });<br/> window.fbAsyncInit = function() {<br/> oldFbAsyncInit();<br/> FB.Event.subscribe('edge.create', function(response) {<br/> // to hide the facebook comments box <br/> $('#facebookLike span.fb_edge_comment_widget').hide();<br/> onShare();<br/> });<br/> };<br/> } else if (window.FB) {<br/> FB.Event.subscribe('edge.create', function(response) {<br/> // to hide the facebook comments box <br/> $('#facebookLike span.fb_edge_comment_widget').hide();<br/> onShare();<br/> });<br/> }<br/><br/> });<br/></script><br/> <br/> <h1 class="headline">What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success</h1><br/> <br/> <br/> <span class="offScreen">By <span class="authors"><span class="author">Anu Partanen</span></span></span><br/> <br/> <p class="metadata"><br/> <br/></p><div data-layout="button_count" data-action="recommend" id="facebookLike" class="fb-like fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget" data-send="false" data-width="130" data-href="http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/" data-show-faces="true"><span><iframe name="f142af9ae7aaf1e" style="border: medium none; overflow: hidden; height: 20px; width: 130px;" scrolling="no" id="f19325cf31610a6" class="fb_ltr" title="Like this content on Facebook." src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?action=recommend&api_key=100770816677686&channel_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs-static.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fconnect%2Fxd_proxy.php%3Fversion%3D3%23cb%3Df34293868eed114%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.theatlantic.com%252Fff7ac0bc31ed24%26relation%3Dparent.parent%26transport%3Dpostmessage&extended_social_context=false&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fnational%2Farchive%2F2011%2F12%2Fwhat-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success%2F250564%2F&layout=button_count&locale=en_US&node_type=link&sdk=joey&send=false&show_faces=false&width=130"></iframe></span></div><br/><br/> <span class="plus-one"><div style="height: 20px; width: 90px; display: inline-block; text-indent: 0pt; margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent; border-style: none; float: none; line-height: normal; font-size: 1px; vertical-align: baseline;" id="___plusone_0"><iframe style="position: static; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; width: 90px; margin: 0px; border-style: none; height: 20px; visibility: visible;" name="I1_1326756857715" width="100%" scrolling="no" tabindex="-1" id="I1_1326756857715" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" title="+1" marginwidth="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" src="https://plusone.google.com/_/+1/fastbutton?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fnational%2Farchive%2F2011%2F12%2Fwhat-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success%2F250564%2F&size=medium&count=true&annotation=&hl=en-US&jsh=m%3B%2F_%2Fapps-static%2F_%2Fjs%2Fwidget%2F__features__%2Frt%3Dj%2Fver%3DVOzl2d3IIXQ.en.%2Fsv%3D1%2Fam%3D%21bMxf2l2AOqKIHfWTkg%2Fd%3D1%2F#id=I1_1326756857715&parent=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com&rpctoken=33856887&_methods=onPlusOne%2Conendinteraction%2C_ready%2C_close%2C_open%2C_resizeMe"></iframe></div></span><br/> <br/> <span class="date">Dec 29 2011, 3:00 PM ET</span><br/> <br/> <a rel="nofollow" style="display: inline;" href="#disqus_thread" class="comments" disqus="mt250564">1627</a><br/> <p></p><br/> <br/> <div class="articleContent"><br/> <br/> <br/> <br/> <p><em>The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence. </em></p><br/><br/><img style="" width="615" height="317" class="mt-image-none" alt="finnish-kids.jpg" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/national/finnish-kids.jpg"><p class="image-attrib">Sergey Ivanov/Flickr</p>Everyone agrees the United States needs to improve its education system <br/> dramatically, but how? One of the hottest trends in education reform lately <br/> is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education <br/> superpower, Finland. <br/> Trouble is, when it comes to the lessons that Finnish schools have to offer, <br/> most of the discussion seems to be missing the point.<p></p><br/><p>The small Nordic country of Finland used to be known -- if it was known for <br/> anything at all -- as the home of Nokia, the mobile phone giant. But lately <br/> Finland has been attracting attention on global surveys of quality of <br/> life -- <em>Newsweek</em> ranked it number one last year -- and Finland's national <br/> education system has been receiving particular praise, because in recent <br/> years Finnish students have been turning in some of the highest test scores <br/> in the world.</p><br/><p>Finland's schools owe their newfound fame primarily to one study: the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,2987,en_32252351_32235731_1_1_1_1_1,00.html">PISA <br/> survey</a>, conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic <br/> Co-operation and Development (OECD). The survey compares 15-year-olds in <br/> different countries in reading, math, and science. Finland has ranked at or <br/> near the top in all three competencies on every survey since 2000, neck and <br/> neck with superachievers such as South Korea and Singapore. In the most <br/> recent survey in 2009 Finland slipped slightly, with students in Shanghai, <br/> China, taking the best scores, but the Finns are still near the very top. <br/> Throughout the same period, the PISA performance of the United States has <br/> been middling, at best.</p><br/><p>Com</p></div></div></div></div>
-
ompared with the stereotype of the East Asian model -- long hours of exhaustive cramming and rote memorization --
-
Finland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play
-
Americans are consistently obsessed with certain questions: How can you keep track of students' performance if you don't test them constantly?
-
How can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do you provide school choice?
-
"Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
-
n Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility.
-
There are no lists of best schools or teachers in Finland. The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation.
-
The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society
-
-
15 Jan 12
-
yan brailowsky"And while Americans love to talk about competition, Sahlberg points out that nothing makes Finns more uncomfortable. In his book Sahlberg quotes a line from Finnish writer named Samuli Puronen: "Real winners do not compete." It's hard to think of a more un-American idea, but when it comes to education, Finland's success shows that the Finnish attitude might have merits. There are no lists of best schools or teachers in Finland. The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation."
-
14 Jan 12
-
13 Jan 12
-
the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.
-
Educational policy, Abrams suggests, is probably more important to the success of a country's school system than the nation's size or ethnic makeup.
-
Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.
-
-
12 Jan 12
-
-
Finland has no standardized tests
-
the public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves
-
what matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility.
-
A master's degree is required to enter the profession, and teacher training programs are among the most selective professional schools in the country. If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it.
-
Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.
-
Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidan
-
Finland's experience suggests that to win at that game, a country has to prepare not just some of its population well, but all of its population well, for the new economy.
-
-
-
Yet one of the most significant things Sahlberg said passed practically unnoticed. "Oh," he mentioned at one point, "and there are no private schools in Finland.
-
There are no private universities, either. This means that practically every person in Finland attends public school, whether for pre-K or a Ph.D.
-
None is allowed to charge tuition fees
-
From his point of view, Americans are consistently obsessed with certain questions: How can you keep track of students' performance if you don't test them constantly? How can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do you provide school choice?
-
The answers Finland provides seem to run counter to just about everything America's school reformers are trying to do.
-
For starters, Finland has no standardized tests.
-
Instead, the public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves.
-
In his book Sahlberg quotes a line from Finnish writer named Samuli Puronen: "Real winners do not compete."
-
-
11 Jan 12
-
-
<div class="ad adGutter"><div style="position: fixed; left: 50%; margin-left: -640px ! important; width: 1280px; height: 0pt;"><a rel="nofollow" style="left: 0pt; position: absolute; display: block; width: 140px; top: 0pt; height: 800px; overflow: hidden;" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3bf9/3/0/%2a/g%3B251803579%3B0-0%3B1%3B45559820%3B255-0/0%3B46087976/46105114/1%3B%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/1/ff/0%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;251844950;75297417;t?http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/day-one/?chn=Display&src=ATL&ad=Promo_Skin&dim=140x800"> </a> <a rel="nofollow" style="right: 0pt; position: absolute; display: block; width: 140px; top: 0pt; height: 800px; overflow: hidden;" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh%3Dv8/3bf9/3/0/%2a/g%3B251803579%3B0-0%3B1%3B45559820%3B255-0/0%3B46087976/46105114/1%3B%3B%7Eaopt%3D2/1/ff/0%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;251844950;75297417;t?http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/day-one/?chn=Display&src=ATL&ad=Promo_Skin&dim=140x800"> <img src="http://s0.2mdn.net/3345827/Prudential-GalleryPromo_Skins-Right.jpg"> </a></div><br/><br/><noscript><div><a rel="nofollow" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=gutter;sz=0x0;tile=13" title=""><img alt="" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=gutter;sz=0x0;tile=13" /></a></div></noscript><br/></div><br/><script type="text/javascript"><br/>//<![CDATA[<br/>if( $(".adGutter").html().search("grey.gif") != -1 ){<br/> $(".adGutter").hide();<br/>}<br/>//]><br/></script><br/> <span></span><br/> <br/> <div class="skipNav"><a rel="nofollow" href="#middle" id="top" title="Skip Navigation">Skip Navigation</a></div><br/> <br/> <div id="topAdsWrap"><br/><div id="topAds"><br/> <br/><div style="width: 730px;" class="ad adTopleader"><br/> <script type="text/javascript"><br/>//<![CDATA[<br/> if (typeof window.dartOrd == 'undefined') {<br/> window.dartOrd = ('000000000' + Math.ceil(Math.random()*1000000000).toString()).slice(-9);<br/> }<br/> if (typeof(window.bizoDart) == 'undefined') {<br/> if (typeof(window.Atlantic) =='object' && typeof(window.Atlantic.getBizoDartString) == 'function') {<br/> window.bizoDart = Atlantic.getBizoDartString();<br/> } else {<br/> window.bizoDart = '';<br/> } <br/> }<br/> jsProperties = 'TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=topleader;sz=728x90,970x66,970x418,970x250;dcopt=ist;tile=1';<br/> document.write('<' + 'script type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=topleader;sz=728x90,970x66,970x418,970x250;dcopt=ist;tile=1;' + window.bizoDart + 'ord=' + window.dartOrd + '" id="adTopleaderScript"></' + 'script' + '>');<br/>//]><br/> </script><script type="text/javascript" id="adTopleaderScript" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=topleader;sz=728x90,970x66,970x418,970x250;dcopt=ist;tile=1;ord=193139148"></script><a rel="nofollow" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3bf9/0/0/%2a/c;248264777;0-0;1;45559820;3454-728/90;43251117/43268904/1;;%7Eaopt=2/1/ff/0;%7Esscs=%3fhttp://www.facebook.com/#%21/TheAtlantic" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Click here to find out more!" src="http://s0.2mdn.net/viewad/1484728/Facebook_LB.jpg"></a><br/><noscript><div><a rel="nofollow" href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=topleader;sz=728x90,970x66,970x418,970x250;dcopt=ist;tile=1" title=""><img alt="" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/TheAtlanticOnline/channel_national;src=blog;by=anu-partanen;title=what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success;pos=topleader;sz=728x90,970x66,970x418,970x250;dcopt=ist;tile=1" /></a></div></noscript><br/></div><br/> <div style="float: right;" id="adHeaderCirc" class="ad adHeadercirc"><div id="adHeaderSmallCirc"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2S" id="circCover" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic"><img width="58" height="78" alt="Subscribe to The Atlantic" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/onn/105651_201201.jpg"></a><ul><li>•<a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA1S">Subscribe</a></li><li>•<a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eServ?iServ=MjMzMDE1ODgzNQ==">Renew</a></li><li>•<a rel="nofollow" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IFGD">Give a Gift</a></li><li>•<a rel="nofollow" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-atlantic-magazine-digital/id397599894?mt=8">Digital Edition</a></li></ul></div></div><br/><br/> <script type="text/javascript"><br/>//<![CDATA[<br/> var topAdAttempts = 0;<br/><br/> function topAds() {<br/><br/> // Has DoubleClick sent a blank ad (as signified by a grey.gif tracking pixel)<br/> var blankAdLoaded = false;<br/> if ($("#topAds .adTopleader").html().search("grey.gif") != -1) {<br/> blankAdLoaded = true;<br/> } <br/> <br/> // webkit seems to be having issues with visiblity detection<br/> var visibilityCheck;<br/> if (jQuery.browser.webkit) {<br/> visibilityCheck = function(index) {<br/> return $(this).css('visibility') == 'visible';<br/> }<br/> } else {<br/> visibilityCheck = ':visible';<br/> }<br/> <br/> var adWidth = maxAdWidth = Math.max(<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">img").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">embed").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">div").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">a").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">object").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">table").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">iframe").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">span").filter(visibilityCheck).width(),<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").find(">center").filter(visibilityCheck).width()<br/> );<br/> <br/> // If we don't have a blank ad from DoubleClick, or the ad width is such<br/> // that we suspect it hasn't finished loading, try again in a bit...<br/> if (blankAdLoaded == false && adWidth <= 500) {<br/> if (topAdAttempts < 30) { // Try up to 30 times<br/> topAdAttempts++;<br/> setTimeout('topAds()', 50 + (topAdAttempts * 20)); // Each attempt is a litle slower, try to ketch people on really slow connections<br/> return false;<br/> } else {<br/> // We've waited a while, doesn't look like an ad is coming<br/> blankAdLoaded = true;<br/> }<br/> }<br/> <br/> // If we have a blank ad or a wide push down ad, then show the wide circ<br/> if ( blankAdLoaded == true || adWidth > 732 )<br/> { <br/> var circAd = '';<br/> circAd += '<div id="adHeaderWideCirc">';<br/> circAd += '<a id="circCover" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2S" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic">';<br/> circAd += '<img width="66" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/onn/105651_201201.jpg" alt="Subscribe to The Atlantic" />';<br/> circAd += '</a>';<br/> circAd += '<ul>';<br/> circAd += '<li><a href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA1S">Subscribe</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eServ?iServ=MjMzMDE1ODgzNQ==">Renew</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IFGD">Give a Gift</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-atlantic-magazine-digital/id397599894?mt=8">Digital Edition</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '</ul>';<br/> circAd += '</div>'; <br/> <br/> $("#adHeaderCirc").html(circAd);<br/><br/> if (blankAdLoaded == false) <br/> {<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").addClass('adPush');<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").removeClass('ad');<br/> } else {<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").height(0);<br/> }<br/><br/> // ELSE the topleader has an ad in it, but it is less than 730px<br/> // So show the small circ ad that goes with it<br/> } else {<br/> $("#topAds .adTopleader").attr('style', 'width:730px');<br/> <br/> var circAd = '';<br/> circAd += '<div id="adHeaderSmallCirc">';<br/> circAd += '<a id="circCover" href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA2S" title="Subscribe to The Atlantic">';<br/> circAd += '<img width="58" height="78" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/easel/images/onn/105651_201201.jpg" alt="Subscribe to The Atlantic" />';<br/> circAd += '</a>';<br/> circAd += '<ul>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IA1S">Subscribe</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eServ?iServ=MjMzMDE1ODgzNQ==">Renew</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=23301&i4Ky=IFGD">Give a Gift</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '<li>•<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-atlantic-magazine-digital/id397599894?mt=8">Digital Edition</a></li>';<br/> circAd += '</ul>';<br/> circAd += '</div>';<br/> <br/> $("#adHeaderCirc").html(circAd);<br/> $("#adHeaderCirc").attr('style', 'float:right');<br/> }<br/><br/> return true;<br/> }<br/> topAds();<br/>//]> <br/> </script><br/> <div style="clear: both;"></div><br/></div><br/></div><br/><script language="VBScript"><br/>//<![CDATA[<br/>Sub FlASH_AD_FSCommand(ByVal command, ByVal args)<br/> call FlASH_AD_DoFSCommand(command, args)<br/>end sub<br/>//]><br/></script><br/><br/><br/> <div id="contentShadow"><br/> <div id="container"><br/> </div></div>
-
there are certain things nobody in America really wants to talk about.
-
and there are no private schools in Finland."
-
"There's no word for accountability in Finnish,"
-
"Real winners do not compete." It's hard to think of a more un-American idea,
-
the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
When Finnish policymakers decided to reform the country's education system in the 1970s, they did so because they realized that to be competitive, Finland couldn't rely on manufacturing or its scant natural resources and instead had to invest in a knowledge-based economy.
-
-
-
The Scandinavian country is an education superpower because it values equality more than excellence.
-
The Scandinavian
-
-
-
But lately Finland has been attracting attention on global surveys of quality of life -- Newsweek ranked it number one last year -- and Finland's national education system has been receiving particular praise, because in recent years Finnish students have been turning in some of the highest test scores in the world.
-
PISA survey, conducted every three years by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The survey compares 15-year-olds in different countries in reading, math, and science. Finland has ranked at or near the top in all three competencies on every survey since 2000
-
This notion may seem difficult for an American to digest, but it's true. Only a small number of independent schools exist in Finland, and even they are all publicly financed. None is allowed to charge tuition fees.
-
Finland has no standardized tests.
-
For Sahlberg what matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility. A master's degree is required to enter the profession, and teacher training programs are among the most selective professional schools in the country. If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it.
-
"Real winners do not compete."
-
he main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperatio
-
goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
instrument to even out social inequality.
-
this means that schools should be healthy, safe environments for children.
-
, despite their many differences, Finland and the U.S. have an educational goal in common.
-
competitive, Finland couldn't rely on manufacturing or its scant natural resources and instead had to invest in a knowledge-based economy
-
Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.
-
The problem facing education in America isn't the ethnic diversity of the population but the economic inequality of society, and this is precisely the problem that Finnish education reform addressed.
-
-
10 Jan 12
Robyn VeugenGreat read from @TheAtlantic: What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school success http://t.co/lfpZyMJW
-
-
One of the hottest trends in education reform lately is looking at the stunning success of the West's reigning education superpower, Finland. Trouble is, when it comes to the lessons that Finnish schools have to offer, most of the discussion seems to be missing the point.
-
Finland's national education system has been receiving particular praise, because in recent years Finnish students have been turning in some of the highest test scores in the world.
-
Compared with the stereotype of the East Asian model -- long hours of exhaustive cramming and rote memorization -- Finland's success is especially intriguing because
-
Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play
-
Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play.
-
recent visit to the U.S. by one of the leading Finnish authorities on education reform, Pasi Sahlberg
-
As Sahlberg put it to me later, there are certain things nobody in America really wants to talk about.
-
From his point of view, Americans are consistently obsessed with certain questions: How can you keep track of students' performance if you don't test them constantly? How can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do you provide school choice?
-
The answers Finland provides seem to run counter to just about everything America's school reformers are trying to do.
-
Finland has no standardized tests.
-
the public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves.
-
reports are based on individualized grading by each teacher.
-
As for accountability of teachers and administrators
-
"Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
-
For Sahlberg what matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility
-
A master's degree is required to enter the profession, and teacher training programs are among the most selective professional schools in the country. If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it.
-
And while Americans love to talk about competition, Sahlberg points out that nothing makes Finns more uncomfortable
-
The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation.
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence
-
It was equity.
-
-
Judy PetersonPasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education's Center for International Mobility and author of the new book Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland? Earlier this month, Sahlberg stopped by the Dwight School in New York City to speak with educators and students, and his visit received national media attention and generated much discussion.
-
09 Jan 12
-
Aze_CunliffeThen, read "What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school success" http://t.co/hj5HOfi1
-
Paul BeaufaitPartanen, Anu. (2011). What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success. <i>The Atlantic</i>. Retrieved January 9, 2012, from http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/
education equity Finland learning math OECD PISA survey reading reform schools sciences United States
-
As for accountability of teachers and administrators, Sahlberg shrugs. "There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
-
The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation.
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
Finland -- unlike, say, very similar countries such as Norway -- was producing academic excellence through its particular policy focus on equity.
-
the number of foreign-born residents in Finland doubled during the decade leading up to 2010, and the country didn't lose its edge in education. Immigrants tended to concentrate in certain areas, causing some schools to become much more mixed than others, yet there has not been much change in the remarkable lack of variation between Finnish schools in the PISA surveys across the same period.
-
Educational policy, Abrams suggests, is probably more important to the success of a country's school system than the nation's size or ethnic makeup.
-
When Finnish policymakers decided to reform the country's education system in the 1970s, they did so because they realized that to be competitive, Finland couldn't rely on manufacturing or its scant natural resources and instead had to invest in a knowledge-based economy.
-
It is possible to create equality. And perhaps even more important -- as a challenge to the American way of thinking about education reform -- Finland's experience shows that it is possible to achieve excellence by focusing not on competition, but on cooperation, and not on choice, but on equity.
-
-
-
<!-- /bloggerProfile -->
u Partanen - Anu Partanen is a Finnish journalist based in New York City. She is writing a book about what America can learn from Nordic societies.
<!-- /verticalTools --> <!--[if IE]> <style type="text/css"> /* Annoyingly, IE puts 4 extra pixels above the iframe, so we add 4px to the element's top style to compensate */ #thanksForSharing .hide { top: 5px !important; } /* IE doesn't respect z-indexes of transparent elements relative to iframes, so we apply a white background and set the opacity to 0 */ #thanksForSharing .hide { background-color: #fff !important; opacity: 0; -ms-filter:"progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(Opacity=0)"; filter: alpha(opacity=0); } </style> <![endif]--> <script type="text/javascript"> function plusOneCallback () { $(document).trigger('share'); } $(document).ready(function() { var iframeUrl = null; var toolsClicked = false; $('#toolsTop').click(function() { toolsClicked = 'top'; }); $('#toolsBottom').click(function() { toolsClicked = 'bottom'; }); $('#thanksForSharing a.hide').click(function() { $('#thanksForSharing').hide(); }); var onShareClickHandler = function() { var top = parseInt($(this).css('top').replace(/px/, ''), 10); toolsClicked = (top > 600) ? 'bottom' : 'top'; }; var onIframeReady = function(iframe) { var win = iframe.contentWindow; // Don't show the box if there's no ad in it if (win.$('.ad').children().length == 1) { return; } var visibleAds = win.$('.ad').filter(function() { return !($(this).css('display') == 'none'); }); if (visibleAds.length == 0) { // Ad is hidden, so don't show return; } if (win.$('.ad').hasClass('adNotLoaded')) { // Ad failed to load so don't show return; } $('#thanksForSharing').css('display', 'block'); var top; if(toolsClicked == 'bottom' && $('#toolsBottom').length) { top = $('#toolsBottom')[0].offsetTop + $('#toolsBottom').height() - 310; } else { top = $('#toolsTop')[0].offsetTop + $('#toolsTop').height() + 10; } $('#thanksForSharing').css('left', (-$('#toolsTop').offset().left + 60) + 'px'); $('#thanksForSharing').css('top', top + 'px'); }; var onShare = function() { // Close "Share successful!" AddThis plugin popup if (window._atw && window._atw.clb && $('#at15s:visible').length) { _atw.clb(); } if (iframeUrl == null) { return; } $('#thanksForSharingIframe').attr('src', null); $('#thanksForSharingIframe').load(function() { var iframe = this; var win = iframe.contentWindow; if (win.loaded) { onIframeReady(iframe); } else { win.$(iframe.contentDocument).ready(function() { onIframeReady(iframe); }) } }); }; if (window.addthis) { addthis.addEventListener('addthis.ready', function() { $('.articleTools .share').mouseover(function() { $('#at15s').unbind('click', onShareClickHandler); $('#at15s').bind('click', onShareClickHandler); }); }); addthis.addEventListener('addthis.menu.share', function(evt) { onShare(); }); } // This 'share' event is used for testing, so one can call // $(document).trigger('share') to get the thank you for // sharing box to appear. $(document).bind('share', function(event) { onShare(); }); if (!window.FB || (window.FB && !window.FB._apiKey)) { // Hook into the fbAsyncInit function and register our listener there var oldFbAsyncInit = (window.fbAsyncInit) ? window.fbAsyncInit : (function() { }); window.fbAsyncInit = function() { oldFbAsyncInit(); FB.Event.subscribe('edge.create', function(response) { // to hide the facebook comments box $('#facebookLike span.fb_edge_comment_widget').hide(); onShare(); }); }; } else if (window.FB) { FB.Event.subscribe('edge.create', function(response) { // to hide the facebook comments box $('#facebookLike span.fb_edge_comment_widget').hide(); onShare(); }); } }); </script>
Share « Previous National | Next National » 
Email 
Print What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success
-
-
Daniel LessaDecades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
"Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
For Sahlberg what matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility.
-
And while Americans love to talk about competition, Sahlberg points out that nothing makes Finns more uncomfortable. In his book Sahlberg quotes a line from Finnish writer named Samuli Puronen: "Real winners do not compete."
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
-
-
08 Jan 12
-
-
07 Jan 12
-
-
Instead, the public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves. All children receive a report card at the end of each semester, but these reports are based on individualized grading by each teacher. Periodically, the Ministry of Education tracks national progress by testing a few sample groups across a range of different schools.
As for accountability of teachers and administrators, Sahlberg shrugs. "There's no word for accountability in Finnish," he later told an audience at the Teachers College of Columbia University. "Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
-
For Sahlberg what matters is that in Finland all teachers and administrators are given prestige, decent pay, and a lot of responsibility. A master's degree is required to enter the profession, and teacher training programs are among the most selective professional schools in the country. If a teacher is bad, it is the principal's responsibility to notice and deal with it.
-
Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity.
* * *
Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location. Education has been seen first and foremost not as a way to produce star performers, but as an instrument to even out social inequality.
-
-
Kirsten Olsonfinnish schools focus on equity, not competion and naming winners
-
through its particular policy focus on equity.
-
-
Sheryl A. McCoyWhat Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success - Anu Partanen - National - The Atlantic http://t.co/2z5UfMh
-
-
and there are no private schools in Finland."
-
From his point of view, Americans are consistently obsessed with certain questions: How can you keep track of students' performance if you don't test them constantly? How can you improve teaching if you have no accountability for bad teachers or merit pay for good teachers? How do you foster competition and engage the private sector? How do you provide school choice?
-
Finland has no standardized tests
-
he public school system's teachers are trained to assess children in classrooms using independent tests they create themselves.
-
And while Americans love to talk about competition, Sahlberg points out that nothing makes Finns more uncomfortable. In his book Sahlberg quotes a line from Finnish writer named Samuli Puronen: "Real winners do not compete." It's hard to think of a more un-American idea, but when it comes to education, Finland's success shows that the Finnish attitude might have merits. There are no lists of best schools or teachers in Finland. The main driver of education policy is not competition between teachers and between schools, but cooperation
-
Since the 1980s, the main driver of Finnish education policy has been the idea that every child should have exactly the same opportunity to learn, regardless of family background, income, or geographic location
-
Finland offers all pupils free school meals, easy access to health care, psychological counseling, and individualized student guidance.
-
But subsequent PISA tests confirmed that Finland -- unlike, say, very similar countries such as Norway -- was producing academic excellence through its particular policy focus on equity.
-
-
06 Jan 12
-
Brett Campbell"Accountability is something that is left when responsibility has been subtracted."
Profile of Sahlberg's book on education in Finland. -
Oliver Quinlan“@jpgreenwood: What Americans keep ignoring about Finland's school success, from @TheAtlantic: http://t.co/rlM7j2QR”
Page Comments
http://alltradeinfo.blogspot.com/
more of your work.
http://bluecross-blue-shield.org
Website Design Perth
http://www.oasisproperties.co.uk/
Would you like to comment?
Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.