Finland's school success what Americans keep Ignoring - Article Example

The Differences between American and Finland Schools No Private Schools Very few schools are independent in Finland as compared to America. This makes the country unique in its stream of the learning institutions. The private owned institutions are not allowed to charge any tuition fee. The other aspect of Finland learning institutions is that there are no private campuses in the country. The Americans spoilt for choice in determining whether to join private or public universities. What this implies is that every student who is through with college or high school education joins a public university.

America provides the students with the option of choosing whether to join a private owned campus or the public universities. However, some of the best campuses are private owned, and they are profit making institutions. They charge high costs for tuition and can only be afforded by the select few in the country (The Atlantic). 2. No Standardized Tests Unlike American system of education that focuses on standardized tests, Finland has only one exceptional exam; the National Matriculation Exam, which is the equivalent of a high school test,.

Although pupils and students in Finland are given report cards, the teachers base the performance on individual assessments. The Finland teachers are trained to evaluate the performance of the pupils and students at independent and personal perspective. The Government only confirms the progress of the students by carrying out periodic tests with few groups of the teachers (The Atlantic). 3. There is no CompetitionThe American education policy rests on the theme of the competition (The Atlantic).

This is not the case with Finland. The institutions in Finland are merited according to how well they cooperate with other and not in regard to their competitive advantage. The country does not list the best of the best in curriculum performance. The approach to giving quality education t its residents, all students from whichever backgrounds are treated equal. All the pupils are awarded free meals, health care and personalized guidance. The Meaning of the Title What the Americans keep ignoring from the success of Finland schools is that they are using the wrong approach to improve the level of education.

The Americans need to look at equity in providing education, award less homework and more creativity tests, stop the competitive attitude and foster cooperation and evaluate performance of the students from an independent view. The Americans have not yet adopted the Finland system since they are focusing issues that are just the opposite of what Finland supports such as private sector involvement and competition. A similar state might not work in America since the education focus and goals are not similar to those in Finland, and America has to prepare its residents well in responding to the changes it would need to implement.

How Anu Partanen Ends Her Essay According to The Atlantic, Anu Partanen ends her essay by focusing on what the Americans should adopt and change to make the education sector as successful as that in Finland. She focuses on the need for equity in the education sector as what the Americans need to achieve more and be more competitive. It is true that America should focus less on economic differences and foster cooperation and equity in the learning institutions. The changes would bring the education sector as one, and the public universities would have a fighting chance in providing a more quality education.

How Partanen Supports Her Argument and Sources Partner uses the PISA survey to base her argument on the difference in performance of the students in both countries. Since it is conducted by the well renowned Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it provides a substantial base of facts. However, she relies on heavily Pasi Sahlberg testimony who is the director of Finnish Ministry of Education’s Centre for International Mobility. Partner focuses on the differences that exist between these countries by relying on only one source.

Therefore, the evidence and the sources are not substantial to form a strong argument (The Atlantic). Works CitedThe Atlantic,. What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finlands School Success. N. p., 2014. Web. 28 Jun. 2014.