Education Everywhere: School Success Stories from Abroad
Edutopia’s video series Education Everywhere profiles innovative school systems all around the world. Here you’ll find links to the videos and additional resources for learning about education systems in various countries.
Education Everywhere Video Series
Edutopia's video series takes a look at high-achieving education systems and model schools around the world to see what makes them successful. This series is a co-production with the Pearson Foundation.
Early intervention and sustained individual support for every student are keys to educating the whole child in Finnish schools.
By cultivating strong school leadership, committing to ongoing professional development, and exploring innovative models like its tech-infused Future Schools, Singapore has become one of the top-scoring countries on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests.
In Ontario, schools have raised their test scores and graduation rates by providing resources such as full-time student success teachers, who help English-language learners and other students in need.
In Shanghai, China, every low-performing school is assigned a team of master teachers and administrators to provide weekly guidance and mentorship on everything from lesson plans to school culture.
When low scores on the 2000 PISA exams revealed the inequities in their education system, many German states began to make comprehensive efforts to improve the quality of their schools.
Education Around the World
- In India, a School that Empowers Students and Teachers, by Suzie Boss (2013)
What happens when students and teachers are immersed in an environment that encourages innovation and risk-taking?
- From Italy, with Love: An Argument for the Lyceum School Model, by Margherita Rossi (2013)
Rossi, a classical humanities teacher at the Lyceum school in Bologna, describes why Italy's secondary education model, based on Aristotle's educational principles, might work in the U.S.
- “School Time” in New Zealand, by Adam Provost (2013)
Provost checks in from New Zealand with a report on how rethinking the daily school schedule can make a world of difference.
- Greetings from India: PBL Gaining a Foothold, by Suzie Boss (2011)
Boss reports from India how project-based learning has taken hold at Alwar Public School in the state of Rajasthan.
- Creative Thinking, Part 1: Traditional Country Flirts with Nontraditional Learning, by Jim Moulton (2008)
Chinese educators are looking to project learning to develop student creativity. For more on this story, read "Creative Thinking, Part 2: China Imports Project-Based Learning to Promote Imagination."
- Education as a Vital Global Marketplace Represents the Future, by Owen Edwards (2008)
Our 2008 collection of articles explores the many ways students are taught around the world, including stories from Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, India, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, Sweden, and Uganda.
Learning from Finland
Teacher Education in Finland: What are Finnish Teachers Made Of? by Merja Paksuniemi (2013)
In conjunction with two colleagues, Paksuniemi, a professor at the University of Lapland, explains how Finland's high standards for teacher education became a significant factor in that country's highly-regarded educational system.
Penn-Finn Learnings: 2013
- A Journey of Inquiry, by Joe Mazza (2013)
Mazza, with members of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, kick off their tour of three schools in Helsinki, Finland, and reflect on what they learn.
- Setting the Stage for a Global Conversation, by Joe Mazza (2013)
On behalf of the American and Finnish educators participating in Penn-Finn Learnings 2013, Mazza sets the stage for a global edchat live from the University of Helsinki.
- How We Value Our Teachers, by Brandon Wiley (2013)
Wiley, Director of Asia Society's International Studies Schools Network, blogs from Helsinki about the differences in how Finland and the U.S. value their teachers.
- Does Student Voice Translate in Finnish? by Brandon Wiley (2013)
Wiley writes from Helsinki about Finnish students' expectations for and involvement in their own education.
- A Wealth of Resources for Connected Educators, by Joe Mazza (2013)
Mazza shares the resources collected by American and Finnish educators participating in a global edchat, live from the University of Helsinki.
Lessons from High-Achieving Countries
- International Comparisons in Digital Literacy: What Can We Learn? by Anne O’Brien (2012)
O’Brien discusses the results from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in regard to student performance in digital reading, navigation, and computer use -- and what these results mean for educators in the United States.
- Linda Darling-Hammond on Becoming Internationally Competitive, by Edutopia Staff (2010)
Stanford University professor and noted researcher Linda Darling-Hammond discusses what the United States can learn from high-achieving countries on teaching, learning, and assessment -- from Finland to Singapore.
Additional Resources on the Web
Organizations
Blogs, Articles, and Videos
- "Creating an International Teacher’s Room," from Education Week Teacher (2014)
- "A Global Network of Teachers and Their Professional Learning Systems," from Center for Teaching Quality (2014)
- "How Does One of the Top-Performing Countries in the World Think About Technology," from The Hechinger Report (2014)
- "Children Thrive in Rural Colombia's Flexible Schools," from The New York Times (2013)
- "Classroom Shock: What I Am Learning as a Teacher in Finland," from Education Week Teacher (2013)
- "Lessons From Finland: What Educators Can Learn About Leadership," from KQED’s MindShift (2013)
- "What Can We Learn From a Middle School in South Korea? Focus on the Whole Child," from SmartBlog on Education (2013)