Amanda Ripley on 7 Steps to Improve Schools — From Finland, Poland & South Korea
Lessons for the Global South from the book “The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way.”
Want EdWell’s articles straight to your inbox — with jobs & events? Sign up for our newsletter!
There are so many books and journal articles out there about how to reform education systems. It is rare to find one that is succinct, useful, and actually easy to read without wanting to fall asleep.
Amanda Ripley’s 2014 book, The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way, is one of those rare gems. She follows students in Finland, Poland, and South Korea — three of the outlier countries that have been able to rapidly transform their education systems over the course of a few decades.
We have to look at these examples with a bit of caution. They are mostly homogenous in terms of race — while countries in Latin America, Africa and South Asia are often more racially/ethnically diverse, with power decentralized to states/provinces, and complex histories of colonialism, civil war, and deep divides. They can’t just replicate exactly what Finland, Poland, and South Korea did. However, after reading the book, I took away 7 steps that all countries can take to try and create huge gains in learning.
There are definitely problems with each country’s system — and Ripley covers these in the book. But they still show that with the right leadership and policy reforms, change is possible. And I believe this is true EVEN in countries with low levels of funding and strong teacher unions that restrict firing for performance — two issues that pose some of the biggest obstacles to progress.
Whether you agree or disagree, I welcome your response in the comments!
To learn more from Amanda Ripley, read a free excerpt or buy the book ($17).
Strengthen Teachers
1. Reduce the number of teacher training programs and make them highly competitive to get into, so that teaching is as respected as medicine.
2. Make teachers-in-training do at least 1 year of observing and live teaching in the country’s best schools, in front of vetted master teachers who coach them/give feedback — instead of sitting in lectures with so much theory.
Prioritize Equity
3. Don’t track students by skill level or interest area until age 16 or later — to keep expectations high for all.
4. Fund schools with the most low-income/marginalized students, more, and schools with the most privileged students, less (instead of property tax financing like in the US).
Track Outcomes
5. Create rigorous national standards that clearly show what skills all students should be learning by what age.
6. Test students more often but through a sample (so that it doesn’t have to be the entire system pausing for tests frequently) — to know whether students are learning.
7. Require all students to take well designed tests at the end of secondary before they can graduate (with more short answers + fewer multiple choice) — to pressure students/teachers/parents towards results.
Kat Pattillo writes about education reform and innovation across the Global South. She is currently researching how hubs accelerate systems change in education (comparing Delhi, São Paulo and 7 other cities), through an MPhil in Politics at Oxford. As a consultant, she also supports clients to design ecosystem-building initiatives. Kat previously taught at African Leadership Academy in South Africa and co-founded Metis in Kenya. For more of her writing, follow her on LinkedIn or sign up for the EdWell newsletter.
