Table of Contents
Foreword Howard Gardner ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xix
Introduction: Where There's a Will There's a Way 1
Northern Exposure 3
Finland as an Inspiration 7
Learning From Others 11
The Plan of This Book 15
1 The Finnish Dream: A Good School for All 20
Postwar Finland 21
Universal Basic Education 24
The New School Is Born 29
Expanding Upper-Secondary Education 34
Improving Educational Attainment 37
Four Phases of Educational Change 46
The Finnish Education System in 2020 56
The Finnish Dream Challenged 63
2 The Finnish Paradox: Less Is More 66
From Periphery to Limelight 67
Educational Attainment 71
Equity of Outcomes 73
Student Learning 84
Cost of Education 99
Finnish Paradoxes of Education 103
The Perils of PISA 123
3 The Finnish Advantage: The Teachers 129
The Culture of Teaching 130
Becoming a Teacher 134
Research-Based Teacher Education 140
Teachers as Researchers 149
Professional Development 152
Teachers Are Leaders 155
School Leaders Are Teachers 160
Good Teachers, Great Schools 162
What If Finland's Great Teachers Taught in Your Schools? 167
4 The Finnish Way: Competitive Welfare State 173
The Power of Globalization 174
The Global Educational Reform Movement 177
An Innovation Economy 191
Welfare, Equality, and Competitiveness 198
Foreign Innovation, Finnish Implementation 204
Myths About the Finnish School 209
5 Is the Future Finnish? 215
Success by Being Different 216
Understanding the Finnish Lessons 220
The Transfer of Change Knowledge 228
Stress Test for Finnish Schools 235
The Future of Finnish Education 237
Afterword Sir Ken Robinson 253
Notes 257
References 261
Index 275
About the Author 283
