Content Delivery Out, Going Finnish In

What Direction Will U.S. Education Take? Anyone? Anyone?

Stanford professor and U.S. education secretary contender Linda Darling-Hammond told an appreciative audience of 3,000 educators that no less than the survival of American society and democracy depend on what direction U.S. education takes in the next four years. Her keynote address at the National Staff Development Council annual conference Monday may offer a hint of what direction she might take things:

What's "Out:" Content delivery a la Ferris Bueller’s history teacher. What’s "In:" Going Finnish, or Korean, or Singaporean.

Globally, these countries' students rank at the academic top. Universal preschool and child health care, equitable spending (including money for high-needs students), a lean common curriculum, and substantial investment in teacher development in all those countries appear to support academic excellence, Darling-Hammond points out.

The solutions to U.S. education problems won't necessarily come from replicating what appears to work in another culture, but the hard evidence of achievement is there to learn from nonetheless. Give teachers more time for professional development that deals with concrete problems and offers teachers specific strategies for dealing with them, Darling-Hammond urges.

The latest TIMSS data show significant U.S. gains, but experts say countries like Korea and Singapore are "in a league of their own" in terms of achievement. Is broader investment in teacher development priority No. 1 if the United States wants to catch up with these countries?