More doesn’t always mean better, just as how pouring more money into our education system won’t improve it. Researchers have proved how money doesn’t necessarily boost students’ scores or interest.

Take Finland for an example. This quiet Nordic country, a home to 5.4 million people, never fails to come at the top for the international rankings for education systems. While American students placed 25th in math, 17th in science, and 12th in reading on the latest PISA test, an assessment conducted among industrialized nations every three years by the OECD, Finnish students placed 3rd in reading, 6th in mathematics, and 2nd in science.

And how much do they spend? Finland spends 30 percent less per student than the United States does.

And what’s more amazing? The results. 93% of Finns graduate from high school, which is 17.5% higher than the US. Moreover, 66% of Finns are accepted to college annually, a higher rate than the US and other European nations.

So, what’s contributing to their success? Perhaps, it isthe high level of professionalism in the teaching sector. Finnish teachers are selected from the top 10% of graduates with a master’s degree. Despite the level of difficulty, its popularity soars, as evidenced by a 2010 statistic that reported 6,600 applicants vying for 660 primary school training slots. What works most effectively in Finland is the amount of respect that teachers receive from the society. In Finland, teachers are given the same status as doctors and lawyers, which are professions considered honorable in not only American but also in many other countries. This is what motivates the Finnish teachers to bring out the superior results from the children. The teachers will reciprocate the level of appreciation that they receive from the society by teaching children more efficiently and passionately.

In order to achieve similar results, American society needs to display the same level of respect towards its teachers. Teachers’job satisfaction has been plummeting since 2008, reaching an all-time low in 2012, according to the MetLife Survey, due to several factors such as budget cuts and expanding classroom sizes. Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers’union, admits that he is disappointed but not surprised by the survey results.

Here’s the lesson from Finland- What America ought to change in its education system is not its budget but its attitude towards our teachers.

Eunji Sally Chung
Westridge School For Girls
11th Grade