Book Discussion

We had an interesting and lively discussion yesterday afternoon. We talked about the merits of the various reform efforts taking place in Finland such as: the abolishment of tracking, few standardized tests, rigorous teacher prep programs, and sustained, teacher driven PD. We also debated issues like merit pay for teachers, a concept that is completely foreign to Finnish teachers. We concluded the discussion by brainstorming a list of Finnish educational practices that might be successful here at the Academy. We liked the idea of requiring administrators to teach one class and offering more teacher PD days that have an interdisciplinary focus. Deb suggested administration send home periodic newsletters via email to community members that highlight interesting classroom and extracurricular activities. In addition, a summer newsletter could be sent home that showcases the educational, PD, and enrichment activities teachers have engaged in over the summer-this might help create a more positive public image of the teaching profession and dispel some of the stereotypes about teachers.

Finnish Lessons

Pasi Sahlberg asserts many of the current educational reform efforts in the U.S. are detrimental to teaching and learning. He suggests, for example, performance related pay for teachers results in a highly competitive teaching culture that prevents meaningful collaboration and teamwork. In addition, he also asserts the emphasis on standardized testing has had harmful repercussions, particularly for students in urban school districts and those who attend "failing" schools. Sahlberg contends educational reform in the US is moving in the opposite direction of efforts in countries like Finland, China, and Singapore-countries whose students outperform our's on international standardized measures of achievement. Sahlberg's premise is that the educational policies and reforms taking place in Finland could be successfully replicated here in the U.S. Do you agree or disagree with Sahlberg? If no, why not? And if yes, which reforms do you think could work here at Woodstock Academy?