Anu Partanen, “What Americans Keep Ignoring: Finland’s School Success” AND Good Morning, Self-Affirmation!
How the author is trying to help the education system in America
The author tries to help the education system in America by describing the associated strategies relevant to improving the education systems. For instance, the author talks of the education trend, which looks at the stunning success of the west’s reigning education superpower, Finland.
Further, the author presents the associated reasons why the education systems in America need to be improved. Such justifies the reasons as to why the author is trying to help the education systems in America. For instance, he talks of the Finland nation focusing on the need for a better life (Partanen, 2011). as a result, the country has been attracting attention to global surveys of quality of life. Such reasons call for improved education systems, which results in better life schedules within the given strategies. Besides, understanding the needs for quality life calls for individuals’ struggle to educate their children to succeed in their old age.
Moreover, the author talks about the issues of stereotypes and other associated drawbacks. As a result, he compares different stereotypes and their impacts on the given nation. By doing so, the author outlines what is essential in students’ lives and what they do deserve on their ways to success. Therefore, according to the information provided, the author tries to reveal what students deserve and what they need to do to minimize stereotypes and other cases of racial conflicts (Partanen, 2011). Also, the author describes the various costs from different schools and the performances of the students. By doing so, the author presents information about the desires of the students and the management. Besides, by giving such information, the public shall gauge the cost of education from a particular school and the students’ associated performance.
How the author is just speaking facts
One of the authors is deriving facts about the basics when he clarifies how different individuals are being hosted to benchmark with Finland. He explains that even the Americans have been visiting the institution to find the secrets of success about what happens to the institution.
Besides, the author speaks frankly when he gives the Americans obsessive questions; although he is psychologically making the argument, it reflects some bits of facts. For instance, Americans are indeed being obsessed by various questions on the Finland institute’s successful performances (Partanen, 2011). For example, he asks, “How can one improve education or teaching when they lack accountability of bad teachers or a merit pay for good teachers?” such a question reflects some bits of facts since it becomes quite tricky to improve the teaching strategies. Yet, there is no record for a bad teacher, neither is there merit pay for a good teacher. Further, it can be tricky to find ways to foster competition to engage the private sector.
Further, the author presents the model of training to public teachers. Such information he provided reveals a factual statement since the public school teachers are generally trained to assess students in classrooms using the independent tests they create. However, the ministry of education tracks the national progress by testing a few sample groups across different schools. As a result, there is nothing accountable for making quality education and giving quality to the children. Such information is a factual idea despite the belief that the teachers in public schools are intelligent. Further, he clarifies that a master’s degree is required to enter the profession and teacher training programs are among the most selective professional schools in the country. All this information reveals matters of facts among the individuals.
The differences through which the USA and their school systems are different
One of the differences between the USA administration and its schools is based on the examination administrations. For instance, the USA has a ministry made to administer examinations and ensure that the institutions produce quality education in the profession (Partanen, 2011). However, instead of the profession being there to issue exams, teachers in the public schools administer their tests against the ministry of education. As a result, the institutions result in producing a poor quality of education.
Further, in the USA, the parents are free to take their children where they want since their performance is not the same. Unlike in Finland, where the same is practiced, no one finds a difference with the education system. However, the institutions in the US are very far different. As a result, they differ from the national administration, especially regarding administration and testing, since every institution takes its exam depending on the magnitude of the teachers’ ability. Another difference is noted when the author clarifies that the US seems especially poignant after the financial crisis and occupy wall street movements have brought about inequality, thus a sharp focus among the individuals. As a result, some individuals can meet the costs of 3500 US dollars while others do not (Partanen, 2011). That brings the differences between the schools for the poor and schools for the rich. As a result, the issue of I can take my child where I want comes. Therefore, the government fails to unify all the institutions so that they can produce almost the same products as the others and offer the best quality to the students and thus the entire nation.
References
Partanen, A. (2011). What Americans keep ignoring about Finland’s school success. The Atlantic, 12, 29.