U.S. Education Strategies Not Found in Top Performing Countries

"We conclude that the strategies driving the best performing systems are rarely found in the United States, and, conversely, that the education strategies now most popular in the United States are conspicuous by their absence in the countries with the most successful education systems."
~ Mark Tucker, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants: An American Agenda for Education Reform
There you have it. (Google the report to read more, if you would like.)

Have you heard of Mark Tucker?  He is the president and CEO of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE). When U.S. Dept of Education Secretary Arne Duncan asked the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for a report on what the top performing countries of PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) are doing, the OECD requested NCEE to write the report. Mark Tucker published the book Surpassing Shanghai this year of which the above-mentioned report is included.
 
So what do they identify that the U.S. is doing that the top performing countries are not?

1. Grade-by-grade national testing in English and mathematics.
2. Typically brief, unconnected practice teaching for pre-service teachers.
3. Assigning teachers to teach subjects that they have not been trained to teach.
4. Local control of school finance
5. Charter schools and voucher programs
6. Using student performance data on standardized tests to "reward" and "punish" teachers
There is much more -- but enough for now.  Next post, I will talk about what Finland (& other top performers) have in place that the U.S. does not.

Why does our country, our states, & school districts continue with OPPOSITE policies & frameworks that are not working compared to the successful countries?  We are wasting so much time of our kids' futures, not to mention money.

One Month Completed

Four weeks ago today, I arrived in Helsinki -- time is just flying by.

Progress
We have all the logistics done and in place for the family (apt, schools, transport, etc). It is very impressive how expeditious registering with the city, opening bank account, getting IDs, and receiving mail are already in place. There are numerous educators I have already met at the University of Helsinki, the National Board of Education, Center for International Mobility, OAJ-National Teachers Union, and the Fulbright Center. There is a common thread with each educator that I meet: they are always interested in my project and they invite me to return to share what I learn from my school visits.

Next Steps
I am networking with my advisor Heidi, my Fulbright buddy Eija, American Fulbrighters, and the teacher's union to identify schools to visit. I continue to make my classroom observation lens and interview questions more concise. I should prepare potential presentations - both about me and some mathematics from Chicago - in case the opportunity presents itself for me to teach. In early March all the Fulbright participants will present their projects at the University of Tampere. Time to start to draft the outline for next month's session. I look forward to spending more time and exchanging ideas with the other 30+ Fulbrighters currently in Finland.