I recently had a productive visit to Tampere University in Finland, sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Finland Fulbright Foundation. The contacts at Tampere University that facilitated this research visit were made possible by the PASCAL network of associates. I thank Mike Osborne for these introductions

The Finland Fulbright Foundation administers a variety of Fulbright grants on behalf of the U.S. Department of State and fosters a range of government, foundation, university, and corporate partnerships between Finland and the United States. They also serve as the go-to local resource in Finland for people like me who carry out research under the Fulbright program’s auspices.

What follows is a brief description of why I chose Finland for my research, what I was able to do during my visit, and my experiences while I was there.

Education is often touted as the ‘great equalizer’ and as a sine qua non for social and economic mobility. Not only does it enhance the life chances of the individual child, but it also paves the way for improved outcomes for future generations since more educated parents typically have children who do better in school and have better labour market outcomes. Different countries have adopted different philosophies and approaches to designing and delivering an education system to achieve successful student outcomes, with some countries more successful in this endeavour than others. 

Radha Jagannathan with Jari Stenvall

With emphases on student learning rather than student testing, teacher qualifications, trust in teachers, and equal access to quality education for all students regardless of their economic status, Finland has emerged as a country with a celebrated education model, one I believe is a good candidate for replication in other countries. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitive study credits Finland with the most well-developed education system in the world. International comparisons such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) put Finland consistently at the top among participating countries, especially in science. These comparisons also show that score differences between the more and less advantaged students are one of the smallest, bearing out Finland’s commitment to equality of opportunity. Finland’s after-school programs, which are primarily used as a vehicle for the socialization of youth through participation in art, music, or sports are also noteworthy for their approach to learning and developing the ‘whole child’.

A direct contrast is provided by the United States whose place in PISA rankings is consistently far lower, placing it near the average performance of disadvantaged OECD students. The U.S. focuses more on high-stakes standardized testing resulting in punitive actions for students and teachers when such testing shows poor academic performance, has a strong teachers’ union that makes it difficult to dismiss poor teachers, and delivers a bifurcated education system based on students’ economic status. In addition, the theory and practice of after-school programming in the U.S. stands in sharp contrast vis-à-vis Finland, with the objective in the U.S. on the provision of remedial education aimed at reducing academic achievement gaps between the more and less privileged students. 

My research visit provided me with an opportunity to understand the social, cultural, and economic factors and organizational processes that contribute to Finland’s educational success. This visit also allowed me to consider which aspects of the successful model can be replicated in disadvantaged inner-city schools in the United States. During my time in Tampere, I interviewed City education officials who are responsible for implementing the national curriculum in the comprehensive, upper secondary, and vocational schools. I also conducted two days of observations of science and math teaching in grades 2-9 at the English-language-only school (Fista School), interviewed the teachers there, and also held a focus group of parents.

A common and recurrent response across these interviews on the factors that contribute to Finnish educational success were (a) the trust that parents place in teachers; (b) the highly credentialed teacher workforce; (c) the pedagogical freedom teachers enjoy; and (d) the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Teachers, in my observation, had the freedom to teach a topic on environmental science by taking the students out to the ‘forest’ during the school day if the visit served the purpose of driving home a particular skill set or piece of knowledge. They would be able to do that without having to go through the administrative structure in their schools for permission or having to have prior ‘permission slips’ in place from the parents. This is particularly in sharp contrast to the legal structure that schools in the United States have to abide by. On the other hand, I believe the seamless incorporation of nature into the school curriculum is something that can be introduced with more regularity in American inner-city schools.

I came away with a good grasp of how ‘things are done’ in Finnish schools. People I talked to were quite generous with their time and also agreed to complete a lengthier, more formal survey instrument as a follow-up. Field research often does not turn out to be as expected and one encounters as many prizes as there are pitfalls – I can honestly say that I returned only with prizes.

The Finland Fulbright Foundation invited me to participate and speak at the American Voices Seminar held at Turku University (I gave a presentation on American College Football – and had a lot of fun talking about a sport that I passionately watch!). The seminar also offered an opportunity to meet and get to know other Fulbrighters from the U.S.

Aside from work, I was able to develop strong collegial relationships with faculty and students at Tampere University and officials in the City of Tampere. Lunches and dinners provided great opportunities to learn more about Finnish culture and hospitality, and tours around the City and traveling across cities showed the economic and social structures that support the Finnish people. Before my visit, I was told by many online resources to expect the Finns to be reserved people – I did not find that to be true. From day 1 when I was struggling to find the bus stop to get to the University, I found nothing but kindness and hospitality from strangers. The husband of a colleague at Tampere University (who happened to be a Brit) told me over dinner that Finns, like a ketchup bottle (the ketchup doesn’t readily flow at first, but after you give it a tap it comes out in spades) go well above and beyond once they warm up to you.