Best Practices in STEM Education from the World: Finland
From Yuko Okubo
Conducting research on STEM education in Asia (including Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Singapore) and in Finland - the countries that have attained a high ranking in international achievement tests - I noticed a sharp contrast between the two. Asian education systems are oriented toward entrance examinations with much pressure on students to cram for tests. In Finland, there is only one standardized test at the age of 16. Students are not measured in comparison to others in the first six years of schooling. In addition, there is no ability grouping - due to the notion of equity. Without creating hoops for students as in Asia, Finland has achieved a high school completion rate of 93% and a high ranking in international achievement tests.

Many factors are suggested for explaining Finland’s educational success. Autonomy is given to each school and teacher. The national curriculum is set as broad guidelines for teachers, and more trust is placed on teachers as professionals, who all have a master’s degree. Besides, teachers are the top 10% of the graduates, and they have a status as high as doctors and lawyers.

As Finland’s case demonstrates, local autonomy for each school and teacher, along with the centralized framework, is vital. As education is one of the social systems, it needs to be coordinated with others.

Yuko Okubo is a Social Research Scientist with the Fujitsu Laboratories of America.

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