Pasi Sahlberg, the great expert on education in Finland, here examines the founding myths of the corporate reform movement.
Reformers search for the teacher who can generate high test scores. They like the idea that teachers compete for rewards tied to scores. Sahlberg points out that a school is a team, not a competitive individual sport. Teachers must work together towards common goal.
Another fallacy is the “no excuses” claim that great teachers overcome all obstacles. Sahlberg reminds us that the influence of the family and student motivation is far greater than the efforts of teachers in determining outcomes.
A corollary to this fallacy is the belief that three or four great teachers in a row eliminates all social and economic disadvantage.
Sahlberg maintains that teacher education requires high standards and even standardization to produce highly skilled teachers. Once the pipeline is improved, teachers should have a high degree of personal autonomy. He notes that there is no Teach for Finland. All teachers go through a highly selective process and are well educated and prepared for their profession.
All in all, a great post.
Send it to your legislators and leaders.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Sahlberg’s article is the most clearly-worded, non-judgmental explanation of the importance of teacher quality in concert with the freedom to teach that I have read. His factual information about the social realities in the US and their impact on our students is presented without emotion or finger-pointing. I hope his ideas receive significant attention.
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/stands and applauds Sahlberg.
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I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Sahlberg, at the fall meeting of the Teacher Union Reform Network. His message keeps getting clearer and stronger. I’m doing my part to see that it reaches wider audiences.
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I became a teacher sharing Sahlberg’s philosophy and worked in a progressive district. It really was a shock to me when I moved beyond the “womb” and discovered that the world did not operate the same way. NCLB and RTTT have created toxic conditions in most districts.
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Wall Street grubbers are trading our students on Wall Street. I doubt that Finland does the same.
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Excellent post!
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The timing of this post was perfect. We just sat through a meeting on CT’s new teacher evaluation system. I keep wondering if I’ll have the stamina to stay in this profession for ten more years until I can retire.
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Yvonne – I was thinking the exact same thing about the vultures on Wall Street. Seems as if we are losing our philosophical base as we change the bottom line of education. Wonder what our children/teachers/schools will endure when the bottom line transitions from the improving student learning and child development to profit margins and share holder dividends.
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