Finland : School Autonomy and Accountability
The two most important factors explaining the success of the Finnish education system are: education has been a national priority for decades, and the system operates on trust. The Ministry of education is in charge of education policy and overall...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/01/18104059/finland-school-autonomy-accountability http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17510 |
| Summary: | The two most important factors
explaining the success of the Finnish education system are:
education has been a national priority for decades, and the
system operates on trust. The Ministry of education is in
charge of education policy and overall central funding. The
Finnish national board of education, as the operational arm
of the Ministry of education, is responsible for overall
education provision and educational development, including
the curriculum. Budgetary autonomy is established; budget is
controlled by the local governments with input from
principals. Personnel management is established. Teacher
salaries are relatively fixed by civil service rules and
municipalities choose their teachers under very stringent
criteria. Participation of school councils in school
governance is advanced. Parents trust school decisions
because the system works very well. School and student
assessment is advanced. Standardized student assessment is
sample-based but schools evaluate their students
continually. School autonomy and accountability are key
components to ensure education quality. The transfer of core
managerial responsibilities to schools promotes local
accountability, helps reflect local priorities, values, and
needs, and gives teachers the opportunity to establish a
personal commitment to students and their parents. There are
five indicators of school autonomy and accountability that
can help benchmark an education system's policies that
enable school autonomy and accountability: school autonomy
in budget planning and approval; school autonomy in
personnel management; the participation of the school
council in school finance; the assessment of school and
student performance; and school accountability to
stakeholders. This report focuses specifically on policies
in the area of school autonomy and accountability. |
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