1. Introduction
The education systems of Finland and the United States are similar in
basic structure, but also have vast differences. These differences are
interesting, but difficult from the translator’s point of view, as one
must know what specific terms to use to show equivalency. These
similarities and differences will be discussed in this paper.
The federal structure in the United States is decentralised, with
each state responsible for its own affairs. The tenth Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States states the following: The powers
not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the
people (Amendments). Due to this, the responsibility for education
is not on the federal government, but on each state individually.
Therefore education systems may vary a great deal from state to state.
In addition, there is decentralisation within the 50 states so that each
state government only regulates the length of the school year and day,
student and teacher qualifications, general curriculum requirements,
school transportation, health services and fire precautions; local
school districts are free to decide all other details. The sizes of
school districts may vary from under a dozen to nearly a million
students (Laukkanen 183).
In Finland, the Finnish Parliament decides on educational legislation
and the general principles of education policy, as well as funding. The
Government, Ministry of Education and National Board of Education are
responsible for the implementation of this policy at the central
administration level. The National Board of Education is responsible for
the development of educational objectives, core curricula and methods of
teaching in basic, general upper secondary, vocational and adult
education and training. The evaluation and curricula of universities and
polytechnics is left to the institutions themselves
(Administration).
The section in this paper titled Personal experiences
introduces some major differences between the two education systems from
the perspective of a Finnish student who has attended schools in both
the United States and Finland.
2. Basic Education in Finland
The following chart shows the structure of the Finnish education
system:
This chart shows the structure of the education system in Finland, from
pre-school to universities.
Source: The Education System
2.1. General facts
Basic education in Finland is provided for children between the ages
of seven and sixteen and is completed in a comprehensive school. It is
free of charge; within certain limits students can choose the school of
their preference, as schools may emphasise certain subjects like visual
art or music. Usually the aim is for students to be educated near where
they live, but if the school journey exceeds five kilometres, a form of
transportation is provided by the school. It is also possible to fulfil
one’s compulsory education without attending school, but this is rare in
occurrence (Basic Education).
The aim of basic education is stated in the Basic Education Act of
1998:
The objective of basic education is to support pupils'
growth towards humanity and ethically responsible membership of society,
and to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary in life. The
instruction shall promote equality in society and the pupils' abilities
to participate in education and to otherwise develop themselves during
their lives (Basic Education).
Special education for children with disabilities is given in special
schools, in special classes, and as teaching integrated with general
education, i.e. as part-time tutoring. The general trend is to increase
integrated teaching and lessen segregated teaching. There are some
special schools funded by the government for certain disabled groups,
e.g. visually and hearing impaired students (Laukkanen 159). For
children with disabilities who are unable to attend normal schools,
compulsory education starts at age six with two years of preliminary
instruction and lasts for eleven years. In vocational training disabled
students may follow the standard curricula or a specialised one.
(Herranen in Postlethwaite 325).
There are private schools in Finland, but very few students attend
them. In 1992, 1 percent of all students in comprehensive schools
attended private schools. The percentage was the same for the number of
schools in Finland, which are privately operated and funded, as states
and municipalities fund approximately 90 percent of all comprehensive
schools (Herranen in Postlethwaite 325).
2.2. Pre-school
Pre-school education in Finland is not a compulsory part of basic
education, but as it is offered as an option, it is worthwhile to
mention.
Pre-school education is provided by the Ministry of Social Affairs
and Health for all six-year-old children who start their compulsory
education the following year. Pre-school education is organised either
in day care centres or in pre-school classes in comprehensive schools.
The latter are especially designed to secure pre-school education in
scarcely populated areas. Pre-school is not compulsory, but 90 percent
of the age group attended it in the autumn of 2000 (Pre-School).
2.3. Elementary school
Elementary schools in Finland are a part of compulsory basic
education. Children begin elementary school in the autumn of the year
they become seven years old and remain there for the following six
years. Instruction is usually given by a class teacher who teaches all
or most of the subjects, which include "mother tongue" (Finnish or
Swedish, the two official languages in Finland), mathematics, foreign
languages (usually from the 3rd grade onwards), biology, history and
social studies, geography, visual arts, physical education, music and
craft. Some competency tests are carried out, but usually nothing so
difficult that any students fail (Basic Education).
2.4. Lower Secondary Education
Lower secondary education lasts for three years — generally between
the ages of thirteen and fifteen — and is completed after elementary
school. Instruction is given by subject teachers, i.e. teachers who are
specialised in a certain subject. In addition to continuing and
expanding on those subjects already started in elementary school,
subjects taught in lower secondary education usually include literature,
the other national language, more foreign languages, environmental
studies, civics, religion or ethics, physics, chemistry, and home
economics.
Usually some kind of competency test is carried out several times
during the school year, but the frequency and number of them may vary
according to, among other things, the number of periods into which the
school year is divided. For example, in Pöllönkankaan yläaste
each school year was divided into six periods and tests were generally
carried out in each subject at the end of a period, approximately every
six weeks.1 The length and difficulty of
the tests varied with each subject, according to what had been studied
during the period — in foreign languages, for example, short tests
on vocabulary were carried out after some periods, and grammar tests
after others.
In order to fulfil the nine-year compulsory education requirement and
receive a final certificate, a student must complete the basic education
syllabus. Interruptions or repeating grades is very rare, but possible.
A voluntary additional year of education (10th grade) is available for
any students who wish to better their grades, although it is not
organised in all comprehensive schools, so the student may have to spend
the last year in another school (Basic Education).
2.5. Upper Secondary Education
There are two different kinds of upper secondary education in
Finland, general upper secondary education and vocational study
programmes. In order to be eligible for either a student must have
completed his nine-year compulsory education. Approximately 90 percent
of students continue their education after comprehensive school, and
about 60 percent of these attend places of general upper secondary
education, known in Finnish as a lukio. It is also possible to
participate in a vocational study programme and complete studies for the
matriculation exam simultaneously (Laukkanen 159). Usually, with regard
to working life, completion of upper secondary education is considered
to be the minimum requirement.
For upper secondary education, students are chosen by a nationwide
selection process. For general upper secondary schools only previous
academic achievement is considered, but for vocational training personal
interests and work experience may also be taken into consideration. Many
institutions also hold entrance examinations, aptitude tests or
interviews for applicants.
General upper secondary education is a three-year program, which
provides the student with a general education and ends in the
matriculation exam. Approximately 70 percent of classes are compulsory,
the rest are optional or electives. Passing the matriculation exam makes
the student eligible for higher education in principle, but most
universities and polytechnics also hold entrance examinations,
interviews, aptitude tests or such. General upper secondary schools may
specialise in some subject, e.g. music, languages, sports or visual art
(Herranen in Postlethwaite 328).
Vocational study programmes generally last for two to three years for
those students who attend directly after comprehensive school. For those
students who have already completed general upper secondary education,
the duration is usually shorter. Options for fields of study are
numerous in vocational study programmes, varying from auto repairing to
hairdressing; once completed, students have a basic professional degree
in their chosen field (Vocational Education).
3. Basic Education in the United States
The following chart shows the structure of the Education system in the
United States (U.S. Education).
3.1. General facts
The education system in the United States is understandably more
complicated than that of Finland — the U.S. is, after all, a much
larger nation. As mentioned earlier, in the highly decentralised
education system the responsibility of education falls mainly on each
state, and that results in great variation between the states. Within
each state there is a State Board of Education, which is directly
involved with the state legislature, and below it a State Department of
Education, which works directly above the local school districts.
Together these bodies the form basic rules and regulations which the
local school districts will then administer (Johnson 184).
Basic education in the United States can be said to be directed at
children between the ages of six and eighteen, depending on the age of
commencing school. Compulsory education is regulated by each state
individually, but can be said to usually begin at age six and end at age
sixteen (Riikonen 11). Each state is mandated to organise a place for
compulsory education for each child and it is free of charge up to and
including the 12th grade (Laukkanen 183).
Schools are sanctioned to provide special education for all people
with disabilities under the age of 22. Special education can be provided
in either special schools or as a separate class in normal schools
(Laukkanen 183).
Private schools are more popular in the United States than in
Finland. Private schools can operate at all levels of public education
as long as they fulfil permit regulations by the state and maintain
accreditation demands. Private schools are generally similar in
structure to public schools, but they may have more grades in one
school, for example grades one to twelve all in one. Private schools may
get limited financial support from the government, but they are usually
financially independent from the government, i.e. fund their operation
with tuition fees and donations (Laukkanen 183-4).
3.2. Pre-school
Pre-school education varies a great deal between states, but most
states offer voluntary pre-schools, usually in the form of
kindergartens. Many children enter kindergartens at age five and usually
spend half a day five days a week there (Gutek 165). Teaching mainly
focuses on “show and tell” sorts of activities where children bring
their favourite objects or toys to school and tell about them in front
of the class.
3.3. Elementary school
Elementary school usually comprises grades one to six, for which the
State Board of Education generally puts together the core curricula. The
ages of the elementary school students vary from six to fourteen, six to
eleven being the most common. Subjects generally taught include reading,
writing, spelling, mathematics, history, geography, music and visual
arts, and there is often some sort of competency level, which a student
must attain in order to be passed on to the next grade (Riikonen 12).
By the age of six, 99.78 percent of all children will have begun their
schooling (Valverde in Postlethwaite 1035).
3.4. Middle and Junior High Schools
Usually, there is a “middle” level called either "middle" or "junior
high" school between the elementary and high school levels. However, due
to the variation of grade organisation between states, some school
systems may not include a middle or junior high school at all. Some
systems which have a six-year elementary school can simply have a
six-year high school in addition, so they lack the middle or junior high
level completely. Middle or junior high school — both terms are
used — can consist of grades six to eight, six to nine, seven to
eight or seven to nine, depending on the structures of the elementary
and high schools in a particular school system (Riikonen 13, Gutek
194-5).
Naturally, the subjects taught also vary a great deal. For example in
North Shore Middle School, Glen Cove, New York, which consists of grades
six to eight, the subjects taught included English, mathematics,
science, social studies (including US history and geography), physical
education, health, music, home economics, visual arts, and French, Latin
or Spanish, depending on the student’s choice.2 Competency testing was
in the form of mid-term exams, which were held twice in the school year
and which had to be passed in order to be able to continue to the next
grade.
3.5. High School
High school in the United States usually, depending on the state,
comprises grades nine to twelve. Compulsory education usually lasts
until the age of sixteen, so the completion of high school is not
mandatory.
Subjects taught in high schools include extensions of general
education subjects (mentioned above) and vocational-oriented subjects.
Students can take courses in such subjects as marketing, accounting,
electronics and business ownership-economics, for example, in addition
to taking literature and mathematics (Course Catalog 1993-1994
11-14, Riikonen 16). However, most students generally focus on either
general education or vocational education oriented subjects, as they are
usually instructed to consider where they wish to go for further
studies. If a student is interested in college or university, he may
decide to focus his studies on generally educating subjects. On the
other hand, if a student is planning on applying to a vocational school,
he will focus on subjects which will also be taught at the place of
further study he wishes to attend (Riikonen 16).
There is no national examination which students should take in order
to pass high school. Students are simply required to pass a certain
number of courses, which include certain mandatory courses. Once
receiving a high school diploma, a student is in principle eligible for
any university, college or vocational school of his choice (Riikonen
17). However, since there are no national criteria for completing high
school, it is difficult for institutions of higher education to evaluate
and compare applicants with each other. Therefore some institutions of
higher education take into consideration commercial aptitude tests,
which applicants must complete, in addition to considering the kind of
courses the applicant has completed, the grades on these courses, and
the standard of the high school the applicant has graduated from.
One example of these aptitude tests is the "SAT" exam, which some
institutions take into account.3 It
consists of two parts, SAT-I and SAT-II, both of which are multiple
choice tests. SAT-I lasts for 3 hours and is comprised of questions
pertaining to mathematics and English, whereas SAT-II lasts for one hour
and tests a student’s abilities in specific subjects. There are sixteen
subjects available; a student can choose any three. The SAT test uses
the same questions for all participants, so its results can be used to
compare applicants (Study in USA).
4. Differences between the two systems
The differences between pre-school education in Finland and the
United States are not very great. It can be said that both usually last
for a year and have the same objective: to get a child used to a
school-like, controlled environment in which one must behave and obey
the teacher. Also, both generally last for a year. However, the age of
starting pre-school education is slightly different, as the mean age in
the United States is five and in Finland six. This is most probably
directly linked with the age for starting school, which also differs by
a year.
Elementary school education is also rather similar in the two
countries. It lasts for approximately the same time and generally has
six grades in both countries. However, the subjects taught differ to
some extent, as elementary schools in Finland include foreign languages,
most commonly English, in the curriculum. Nowadays also Swedish, Russian
and German, to mention a few, are offered at some schools The subjects
taught do not differ from each other a great deal; schools of this level
offer “mother tongue” and literature, mathematics, social studies,
natural sciences and such subjects in both countries. Most probably due
to geographical reasons, the foreign languages offered are different, at
least in Pöllönkankaan yläaste and North Shore Middle School. The
latter offered French, Spanish or Latin whereas the choice in
Pöllönkangas was between French or German. Swedish is naturally taught
only in Finnish schools and not American, but that is understandable as
Swedish is the second official language of Finland.
5. Personal experiences
The two schools used in this paper as approximately equivalent
examples, Pöllönkankaan yläaste and North Shore Middle School,
were widely different. In the personal experience of the author, general
differences between the two schools that were most surprising and
shocking were the exams, textbooks, classes and overall rules and
regulations.
The exams were the first big surprise, because they covered much more
ground in the United States than in Finland, most likely due to the
infrequency of exams in the US. The textbooks, which students get for
free to keep from schools in Finland, were much larger in size in the
United States and only given to students for a year at a time, at the
end of which they had to be returned to the school. Also, not all of the
classes included a textbook at all in the United States, whereas in
Finland all classes did include a textbook.
The classes were also very different in structure, as they included
much more note-taking and less active participation and discussion in
the United States than in Finland. This may be surprising as schools in
the United States are usually considered more discussion-oriented than
those in Finland, but this was in fact the case in North Shore. Also,
report cards in the United States were given out four times a year,
whereas in Finland the corresponding number is only two.
Overall rules and regulations are presented to students in a heavy
folder the first day they attend North Shore Middle School. I read
through them and found several rules that were reasonable enough, but
which simply seemed self-evident and somewhat ludicrous when spelled
out. For example, the following excerpt is from the North Shore
Middle School Parent-Student Handbook 1993-1994 under the section
DRESS CODE:
“Good taste is not optional. We feel that it is an important
lesson that we dress differently for different occasions and that our
dress should be somewhat appropriate.
We do not consider cut-offs, halter tops, tank tops, half shirts,
so called muscle shirts or T-shirts with imprints that are in poor
taste to be appropriate. Occasionally male students want to walk
around the school (outside and inside) with their shirts off. We also
do not consider this to be appropriate. Neatness, cleanliness and good
grooming are considered an essential part of the educational
environment desired by North Shore Middle School.
The way students should dress was never addressed in any way in
Pöllönkangas, as students generally knew what was appropriate and what
was not, even though they may not have always acted that way. One reason
why Pöllönkangas and North Shore dealt with this issue differently could
be the diversity between students in the United States. In Finland, it
can be said that students are homogenous in the sense that the great
majority come from roughly the same background and culture. However, in
the United States there is much more variation; students may come from
cultures not at all similar to each other. Therefore, there is a need to
address appropriate behaviour, as what is accepted in the culture of one
student may not be accepted in the culture of another.
Another example of what one could consider to be a strange rule was
in the Handbook under a section titled INAPPROPRIATE
GADGETS:
Play Things such as pins, Yo-Yo-s, matches, lighters, computer
games, radios, Boom Boxes, tape recorders, battery powered electronic
equipment, skateboards, fireworks, water pistols or knives are not
permitted in school. Anything that does not contribute to the
instructional program does not belong in school. Safety of all is
uppermost and requires strict adherence.
In the personal experience of the author, this rule seemed astounding
when I read it, because I had had pins in school and teachers had seen
them, but said nothing. Naturally the definition of pin is crucial here,
but if it is considered to be a metal object which can be attached to a
person’s coat, cap or equivalent, then I was not punished for something
I should have been punished for. Even if the intended definition is a
thin metal wire used for fastening things, the difference is not that
great, because both sorts of pins have a sharp head which can be used
for harming people or property. In any case, it is highly likely that
most of these rules were not fully implemented and punishments for such
minor offences were not executed.
The North Shore Middle School Bill of Rights and
Responsibilities contains all punishments that follow infractions of
school rules. It is divided into four sections, which explain different
rights and responsibilities that students have. The first section is as
follows:
A. All students have a right to an education and shall behave
as to allow others their right to an education.
1. Minor infractions Consequences
Lateness Warning, teacher detention, parental contact
Passing notes Warning
Copying homework Warning, written assignment, teacher detention
2. Major infractions Consequences
Truancy or cutting Discipline report, parental contact, removal
from class, teacher and/or school detention,
suspension (from the school), denial of
special privilege
Cheating on tests All of the above and impact on grade
Other rights include the right to be respected, the right to have
their property respected and the right to be in a healthy and safe
environment. The last of these actually lists wearing a hat indoors as a
minor infraction, which is considered harmful to the safety of the
learning environment.
In general the strictness of control on the students was surprising:
If I ever needed to go to the bathroom during class, the teacher would
write me a note which had the time of my departure on it. If I
encountered another teacher in the halls while walking to the bathroom,
I had to immediately show him my note so he would see that I was not
trying to cut class, but merely going to the bathroom. I had to return
to class within five minutes of the time written on the note or —
according to the rules — I could get detention.
The rules also stated that students were allowed to go to their
lockers only four times a day, at certain specified times. In Finland
students were allowed to use their lockers whenever they had time
between classes. Also regulations for health services were very strict
in the United States. In Finland a student could get a mild pain killer
from the school nurse without any special permission, whereas in North
Shore Middle School the nurse had to have written permission from the
student’s parents or guardian in order to give any kind of medication.
Another remarkable difference was also the tradition of giving out
dozens of awards at the end of the school year. In my opinion, some were
sensible and others were not. Sensible awards included excellence in
certain subjects, such as English, mathematics, science or French or
excellence in overall grades. One example of a less sensible award is
the award for never being tardy, i.e. late for class. The excellence
awards were medals, but the tardy award was simply a slip of paper,
which said that you had never been late for any class during the whole
year. Naturally, in Finland some such awards are also given out when
students finish their lower secondary education, but they were only
given in academic subjects, and usually were in the form of a book.
Extra-curricular activities were also common in the United
States, whereas there were hardly any in Finland. Extra-curricular
activities included all sorts of sports clubs, such as volleyball,
baseball, lacrosse and track. Other extra-curricular activities included
“Mathletes”, Library Club, Humanities Club, Yearbook, Choraleers, Art
Club and Student Newspaper.
One reason for the popularity of extra-curricular activities in the
United States — and also the lack thereof in Finland — may
be the sports scholarships that students get for colleges and
universities in the US. These are not common in Finland, so perhaps this
is why extra-curricular activities are not so appreciated in Finland.
Also, the diversity of students once again plays a role here as
extra-curricular activities are possibly also aimed at “uniting”
students of different cultures.
This is not an issue in Finland, as most students are similar in
background, so there is no such “need” for extra-curricular activities.
In addition, Americans generally value social skills quite a lot,
whereas traditionally Finns do not, so this may be another reason for
teaching teamwork via extra-curricular activities. However, this
situation is changing in Finland as more and more jobs require good
social interaction skills, so perhaps extra-curricular activities are
needed in Finland as well.
Differences in the American High School and the Finnish upper
secondary education, which are once again chosen for comparison due to
the age of students, are rather interesting. It seems that the U.S. high
school is a combination of the two types of upper secondary schools in
Finland. Vocational study programmes and general upper secondary
education are considered completely separate in Finland, with the former
training for a vocation and the latter providing a basis for university
studies. High school appears to have both, as a student can choose
whether to focus on general education or vocational-oriented subjects.
High school could possibly be compared with Finnish vocational study
programmes, which also include the matriculation exam.
The greatest difference between the American high school and the
Finnish upper secondary education, if taking into consideration only
the general kind, is the lack in the American high school of a national
exam for graduation. For Finns it may even seem that students in the
United States are ‘getting off easier’ because they do not need to pass
any national exam in order to get their High School Diploma, which could
be compared with the ylioppilastodistus in Finland. But on the
other hand, due to just that fact, U.S. institutions of higher education
are likely to pay more attention to each and every course completed and
grade received in high school, whereas such grades do not generally have
a great influence in Finland when applying to universities.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that although different in many
respects, the basic building blocks of the education systems are the
same in both the United States and Finland. The Constitutions of both
countries guarantee the right to education and provide it free of
charge. The subjects taught vary, due to geographic location to some
extent, but also general interests. Control of students is much greater
in the United States, but that can be considered understandable as the
country is so vast and the ethnic differences between students are much
greater than those in Finland. This easily causes conflict between
students, so more control is needed. However, this situation is changing
in Finland as ethnic variation is growing with increasing immigration.
Otherwise, it is difficult to compare specifics between the United
States and Finland, simply due to the cultural differences —
definitions of what is or is not acceptable in clothing or conduct, for
example, may vary a great deal.
Notes:
- I studied in Pöllönkankaan yläaste, Kuivasjärvi, Oulu from August
of 1995 to June of 1996.
- I studied in North Shore Middle School, Glen Cove, New York from
January of 1994 to July of 1995.
- Although its acronym has always been the same, the actual name of
the SAT has changed in recent years. Its original name was Scholastic
Aptitude Test, but this was changed to Scholastic Assessment Test in
1994. The reason for this was protest from the black community, as it
had been shown that black students did not achieve as high scores as
other ethnic groups. Therefore, the black community protested first to
the name Aptitude Test and then Achievement Test, as some felt that it
implicated black students’ inferiority. As of 1997 the name of the exam
is only the empty acronym ‘SAT’, although many people still believe it
to be Scholastic Assessment Test or even the original Scholastic
Aptitude Test.
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