2017 Ann D Clark Lecture, Penrith, NSW

1st August 2017

pasi_sahlberg

Urban Legends vs. Facts: Education in Finland, Down Under and the rest of the world

Urban legends about Finland’s schools

1

Homework

2

The Best and the Brightest to Teach 3

“We need to attract the best and brightest to join the profession. Teachers are the key in today’s knowledge economy, where a good education is an essential foundation for every child’s future success. A quality initial teacher preparation programme, which prepares prospective teachers for the challenges of today’s classrooms, is essential to ensuring teacher quality.”

- Andreas Schleicher OECD Director of Education and Skills

0  

1000  

2000  

3000  

4000  

5000  

6000  

7000  

8000  

9000  

10000  

2000   2001   2002   2003   2004   2005   2006   2007   2008   2009   2010   2011   2012   2013   2014  

Series1  

Series4  

Total applicants

Accepted

Applicants to Primary School Teacher Education MA Programmes in Finland (2001-2014)

0  

5  

10  

15  

20  

25  

1–10   11–20   21-­‐30   31-­‐40   41-­‐50   51-­‐60   61-­‐70   71-­‐80   81-­‐90   90-­‐100  

Students score points in Matriculation Examination

Per

cent

age

of a

ccep

ted

stud

ents

                             

The Best and the Brightest

2300 120

Academic Profile of Accepted Students: Primary School Teacher Education Programme (MA), University of Helsinki, 2014

0  

5  

10  

15  

20  

25  

1–10   11–20   21-­‐30   31-­‐40   41-­‐50   51-­‐60   61-­‐70   71-­‐80   81-­‐90   90-­‐100  

24%

24%

Students score points in Matriculation Examination

Per

cent

age

of a

ccep

ted

stud

ents

Academic Profile of Accepted Students: Primary School Teacher

Education Programme (MA), University of Helsinki, 2014 The Best and the Brightest

Myths or facts about Aussie schools?

3.9  

0.0  

1.0  

2.0  

3.0  

4.0  

5.0  

6.0  

7.0  

OECD, 2016

Public expenditure on primary to higher education as a percentage of GDP

Myth 1: Australia spends enough in education

OECD, 2016

Perc

enta

ge o

f GD

P

0  

2,000  

4,000  

6,000  

8,000  

10,000  

12,000  

Myth 2: Australian students need to spend more time in school

Compulsory instruction time in primary and lower secondary education

Tota

l com

puls

ory

inst

ruct

ion

hour

s

Equity of education Weakness of the relationship between achievement and family background (ESCS Index)

Qua

lity

of le

arni

ng

Stud

ent a

chie

vem

ent i

n re

adin

g, m

athe

mat

ics

and

scie

nce

(PIS

A)

Weak equity and low quality

Strong equity and high quality

Strong equity and low quality

Weak equity and high quality

•  Singapore

OECD, 2016 Weakness of the relationship between achievement and family background (ESCS Index)

Stud

ent a

chie

vem

ent i

n re

adin

g, m

athe

mat

ics

and

scie

nce

(PIS

A)

Equity of education

•  China

Qua

lity

of le

arni

ng

•  Hong Kong

Answer: There is an equity problem in Australian education

Fact: Women have too little power

20      25        30        35        40      45  

1        5          10          15          20          25          30        

Percentage of Women in Parliament (2016)

Mot

her I

ndex

Ran

k (2

016)

R2=0.8

CONCLUSION

1.

Don’t just download facts, discover them.

2.

Don’t imitate, create.

3.

Teachers matter, but not as we think.

@pasi_sahlberg

THANK YOU!