A program on BBC described the success of Finland's schools and what it tells us is that we are doing all the wrong things in our effort to reform American schooling. My apologies to Daily Kos if this has been presented here before.
This link is to an article and video on BBC Why do Finland's schools get the best results? There really isn't a whole lot more to say except that by being more relaxed about education, giving greater emphasis to developing quality teaching, and then trusting the teachers to give their best to our students would be far better than any of the approaches I've heard so far from Washington, DC.
I presented at an education conference in Helsinki in 2008 and the main part of the conference was next door to the wood shop where kindergarten teachers learned to do woodworking with kids. Hands-on learning opportunities create educational enthusiasm, and while the Dean of the University of Helsinki Graduate School of Social Sciences told me that he could not prove conclusively that the Finish compulsory craft program was responsible for Finland's School success, the fact that they have the time to do things that create a love of learning tells me how much more we could do in our schools if we were to move beyond our desperate focus on standardized testing.
One simple thing could make a big difference. In Finland, they start reading at age 8 and by the time the students are in 8th grade, they far surpass American students while having spent 38% less time at it. You can't push a rope, but they pull pretty good.
Give kids a clear reason to love schools and learning and THEN you will see a revolution.
http://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com