Education progresses in China and Finland

Two articles in the October 2007 issue of Phi Delta Kappan make interesting reading as Australia’s education system is pushed inexorably towards the US model: privatization of services, standardized testing, conservative political control, vouchers, expansion of private schools, performance pay, teacher bashing as a media art form.

The first article compares the US and Finnish education systems.

It can be accessed at: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v89/k0710gru.htm

The second compares schooling in the US and China, and how each system seems to be moving towards what the other once was. It notes that “The Chinese system is making every effort to reduce the emphasis on exams because it is believed that China must foster creativity and innovation to compete in the global economy…American policy has identified accountability as the key to creating such a workforce, whereas Chinese policy has identified creativity as the key.”

This article can be accessed at: http://www.pdkintl.org/kappan/k_v89/k0710pre.htm