The “Teacher Quality” conference wrapped up in Helsinki with a determination by participants to take lessons from Finland’s commitment to quality education back home to their own states and countries. Each attendee spoke about what they will most take away from the four-day conference, sponsored by the Pearson Foundation and the Council of Chief State School Officers, and how they will put that to practice when they return to their desks next week.
Several people expressed admiration for Finland’s practice of hiring teachers with masters degrees in their area of expertise, and the generally high level of qualifications required of teachers.
Several delegates also voiced how they were moved by Finland’s great level of trust placed in teachers. Steve Payne, Superintendent of Schools in West Virginia, recalled his visit earlier in the week to a primary school, and a conversation with a teacher who said: “I like this. I have a principal who doesn’t breathe down my neck. He trusts me.” Mr. Payne said he would go back home “with the thought of the joy that this teacher gets through that trust.”
Magdalena Mok, Professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, spoke about how Finland’s commitment to education extends throughout the society. “Education is not just the classroom, but the building up of whole values,” she said. “Education is in the heart of everyone in Finland.”
Roger Sampson, President of the Education Commission of the States, commented how the best-performing countries, such as Finland, continually strive for improvement. “There is no ‘we’ve finally arrived.’ You never arrive. And that’s why they continue to be high-performing,” he said.
Susan Badger, Chief Executive Officer of Pearson’s Teacher Education and Development business, added that what Finland practices in education extends to other areas of society as well. “All the best companies have a culture of continuous improvement,” she said.
Patricia Wright, Superintendent of Public Instruction in Virginia, said the traditional U.S. hierarchy of a superintendent over a principal over a teacher seems to be reversed in Finland, thus empowering teachers. “So we need to reinforce our support system for teachers, and that will reinforce trust,” she said.
John Wilson, Executive Director of the National Education Association, commented how Finland has meticulously planned and implemented its education system, saying that the U.S. could use some of that patience. “In America we like problem solving rather than future planning,” he said. “Finland has a common vision.”
Gene Wilhoit, Executive Director of the CCSSO, ended the conference by saying that the U.S. has “a long way to go” in education, but that these four days will help provide a roadmap. “These are the important conversations in this world,” he said. “We need more of these conversations as we move ahead.”
There will be more. The next annual conference sponsored by the Pearson Foundation and CCSOO will be held in June 2010 in London.
