Title: Why Are Finland's Schools Successful?  | Innovation   | Smithsonian Magazine
Headings: Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful?
Why Are Finland’s Schools Successful?
The country’s achievements in education have other nations, especially the United States, doing their homework
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Content: Many schools are small enough so that teachers know every student. If one method fails, teachers consult with colleagues to try something else. They seem to relish the challenges. Nearly 30 percent of Finland’s children receive some kind of special help during their first nine years of school. The school where Louhivuori teaches served 240 first through ninth graders last year; and in contrast with Finland’s reputation for ethnic homogeneity, more than half of its 150 elementary-level students are immigrants—from Somalia, Iraq, Russia, Bangladesh, Estonia and Ethiopia, among other nations. “ Children from wealthy families with lots of education can be taught by stupid teachers,” Louhivuori said, smiling. “ We try to catch the weak students. It’s deep in our thinking.” The transformation of the Finns’ education system began some 40 years ago as the key propellent of the country’s economic recovery plan.