“It is now time to break down the ideology of exceptionalism in the United States and other Anglo-American nations if we are to develop reforms that will truly inspire our teachers to improve learning for all our students—especially those who struggle the most. In that essential quest, Pasi Sahlberg is undoubtedly one of the very best teachers of all.” —From the Foreword by Andy Hargreaves, Lynch School of Education, Boston College Finnish Lessons is a first-hand, comprehensive account of how Finland built a world-class education system during the past three decades. The author traces the evolution of education policies in Finland and highlights how they differ from the United States and other industrialized countries. He shows how rather than relying on competition, choice, and external testing of students, education reforms in Finland focus on professionalizing teachers’ work, developing instructional leadership in schools, and enhancing trust in teachers and schools. This book details the complexity of educational change and encourages educators and policymakers to develop effective solutions for their own districts and schools.

During most of Finland’s history, it had been ruled by different countries. The first instance of this was the Treaty of Nöteborg in 1323. This treaty was between Sweden and the Novgorod Republic and it established their borders. After the treaty, the majority of Finland became a part of Sweden. From 1323 through 1808, the majority of Finland was a part of Sweden. After 1808, Russia captured the region of Finland from Sweden. Russia captured the region of Finland from 1808 through 1809. Then, in 1906, Finland had its own parliament. Although, Russia recognized Finland’s independence on December 31, 1917. In 1906, Finland had universal and equal right to vote which also applied to women. Then, in August of 1939, Finland went under Soviet Union influence. Throughout Finland's history, Finland was not independent very often. Although, when Finland became independent, a man named Johan Vilhelm Snellman advocated and supported the development of Finnish culture and the development of the country. Snellman wanted Finland to have full independence and its own culture. Snellman was born on May 12, 1806 in Sweden. He was born after the establishment of semi-independent Finland. Snellman was a philosopher, statesman, and a journalist. He taught at a university in Helsinki. Snellman wanted Finland to be advanced in education and the arts. Snellman had told the young Finnish people that, “Your success in football does not make me happy! Young Finnish like you not to beat Germans, English, Frenchs, Hungarians by shooting to the ball; Instead of it, with your mind, your heart, science, craft, trade, carpentry I would love to defeat them to take your homeland forward with your willing.” This book explains Snellman’s ideas on developing a newly growing country. It focuses on increasing the quality of education and the school environment. This book became very popular among developing countries. It was first written in Serbia in 1923 under the title “Zidari of Belly” which translates to “Creators of Life”. It was next printed in Bulgarian in 1925 under the title “In the Country of White Lilies”. In Bulgarian, the book has gone through 14 editions. The book was also printed in Turkish in 1928. In Turkish, the book has gone through 16 editions. The first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, knew that this book held valuable information so he made all public employees read the book, he put it into the school curriculum, and made Turkish officers study the book. This book was then published in Russia in 2004 under the title “Finland, the Country of White Lilies”. Today marks the day that this book was translated to English by Atatürk Research Center CT. (July 2020)

Made in Finland: Studies in Popular Music serves as a comprehensive and thorough introduction to the history, culture, and musicology of twentieth and twenty-first century popular music in Finland. The volume consists of essays by leading scholars in the field, and covers the major figures, styles, and social contexts of popular music in Finland. Each essay provides adequate context so readers understand why the figure or genre under discussion is of lasting significance. The book is organized into five thematic sections: Emerging Foundations of Popular Music in Finland; Environments, Borderlines, Minorities; Transnationalisms; Sounds from the Underground; and Redefining Finnishness.

Finland Country Study Guide - Strategic Information and Developments Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments

What is it about Finland that makes the country so successful and seemingly such a great place to live? Danny Dorling and Annika Koljonen explore what we might learn from Finnish success and what they might usefully learn from us.

On October 3 1990 Germany's unification brought together a people separated for more than four decades by the division of Europe into hostile blocs, in the aftermath of World War II. This study attempts to review Germany's history and treat, in a concise and objective manner, its dominant social, poltical, economic and military aspects.

In the wake of the tragedy and destruction that came with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, public schools in New Orleans became part of an almost unthinkable experiment—eliminating the traditional public education system and completely replacing it with charter schools and school choice. Fifteen years later, the results have been remarkable, and the complex lessons learned should alter the way we think about American education. New Orleans became the first US city ever to adopt a school system based on the principles of markets and economics. When the state took over all of the city’s public schools, it turned them over to non-profit charter school managers accountable under performance-based contracts. Students were no longer obligated to attend a specific school based upon their address, allowing families to act like consumers and choose schools in any neighborhood. The teacher union contract, tenure, and certification rules were eliminated, giving schools autonomy and control to hire and fire as they pleased. In Charter School City, Douglas N. Harris provides an inside look at how and why these reform decisions were made and offers many surprising findings from one of the most extensive and rigorous evaluations of a district school reform ever conducted. Through close examination of the results, Harris finds that this unprecedented experiment was a noteworthy success on almost every measurable student outcome. But, as Harris shows, New Orleans was uniquely situated for these reforms to work well and that this market-based reform still required some specific and active roles for government. Letting free markets rule on their own without government involvement will not generate the kinds of changes their advocates suggest. Combining the evidence from New Orleans with that from other cities, Harris draws out the broader lessons of this unprecedented reform effort. At a time when charter school debates are more based on ideology than data, this book is a powerful, evidence-based, and in-depth look at how we can rethink the roles for governments, markets, and nonprofit organizations in education to ensure that America’s schools fulfill their potential for all students.