FINNISH LESSONS 3.

0
What can the world learn from educational change in Finland?

World Education Summit

23rd March 2021

pasi_sahlberg
Finnish Lesson 1.0
 PISA
Program for International Student Assessment
There is another way to become a world-class education
system than following the false promises of GERM.
Finnish Lesson 2.0
How to change a high performing education system?

FUTURE
PAST CHALLENGES
CHALLENGES

2015
Education system needs to be more flexible, creative and
resilient that requires smarter professional collaboration and
stronger student engagement across the system.
Finnish Lesson 3.0
Global trend 1: Declining student learning

Average growth in total expenditure on education

Average PISA performance in OECD countries

2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018

Source: OECD database (2020)

Global trend 2: Eroding student wellbeing

Children’s
sedentary time
& screen time

Anxiety disorder
Children’s Depression
well-being Social challenges
Behavioural disorders
& Health Addictions
Suicidal behaviours
Insufficient sleep

2000 2010 2020

 Global trend 3: Growing inequity
600

2009

550 2018
Student academic achievement

500 OECD average

450

400

350

Levels of parental education converted into years of schooling

300
6 years 9 years 12 years 15 years 18 years

Source: Finnish Lessons 3.0 (2021)

Three lessons
1. Early intervention and support to students
as soon as they start to fall behind.

“We need to rethink the policies for special needs

education that provide appropriate resources
early on to the schools so that they can properly
support all students who need help.”
Three lessons
2. Closer integration of wellbeing and health as
part of the work of every school.

“We need to secure that all children have

necessary wellbeing support and health services
available in their schools every day. Wellbeing is
an essential 21st century skill, and health
outcomes should therefore be measured in
schools alongside with knowledge outcomes.”
Three lessons
3. Equity as a top priority in education policies
and innovation.

“The pandemic has amplified educational and

social inequalities across the globe. Equity-
focused education policies prioritise universal
early childhood education and care, whole-child
approach in pedagogy, healthy school meals for
all, and play as a basic right of each and every
child.”
“Finnish Lessons is a work by a polymath—teacher, researcher, data analyst, speaker,
blogger, writer, loving family member, and cherished friend—the list of accolades could
go on. But what most impresses me is that Pasi Sahlberg articulates and embodies
deep values about equity, fairness, personal growth, community bonding, societal
flourishing, and global harmony, as well as the importance of helping every young
person find an area of passion and then enabling its nurturance. These values come
through in page after page in this volume, and they are perhaps the chief reason that
this book is destined to become a classic.”

- Howard Gardner in his Foreword to “Finnish Lessons 3.0

THANK YOU!

pasi_sahlberg