So, you want higher test scores...

For those who believe in standardized test scores as the best, if not only, way to measure how well students and their teachers are doing, here’s some important information from the country whose students’ test scores are consistently at the top of the worldwide race [pun intended].

Steve Hargadon over at Future of Education, recently hosted a webinar with Bob Compton, producer of a new documentary, The Finland Phenomenon. Here’s Steve’s blurb about the film and the webinar:

…the new documentary film The Finland Phenomenon, an “inside look at the world’s finest secondary education system.” Narrated by Dr. Tony Wagner of Harvard (a previous guest on our show), the film does a very good job of showing the surprising factors that educators and policy-makers in Finland believe accounts for their consistently being ranked as one of the best (if not the best) education system in the world–including students starting school at age 7, limited homework and testing, highly-esteemed and compensated teachers, and “trust” at all levels. We’ll talk about these and other fascinating aspects of education in Finland for an hour with Bob.

The link to the recording of the webinar can be found on this page at LearnCentr

Are those in the U.S. who want higher test scores willing for our government to do what Finland has done for its students and teachers to get there?