Superintendent Tiano Shares Lessons From Trip to Finland's School System

Part Two of a transcript from the Nov. 5, 2013 Chelmsford School Committee meeting. To see a full video, check out the Chelmsford Telemedia website.

7:44 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. (44:34 to 75:00)

The School Committee addressed updating policies, beginning with a policy reviewing policies, with policies to be reviewed at least every five years and possibly on a continuing basis.

Other policy update recommendations included an update on the format of policies, that the School Committee will attempt to maintain its attendance in the Massachusetts Association of School Committees and National School Boards Association, policies for recruiting new superintendents, the school website, promoting healthy foods, sporting events and exchange students.

On the exchange student item, the principal of Chelmsford High School would have the ultimate authority on how they will participate in extracurricular activities and that CHS students going abroad would not be penalized for foreign exchange trips they undertake.

Rigney raised concerns over students that come through companies, saying that they are generally older and do not fully integrate into the high school experience, and said the role of exchange students was more to help enrich Chelmsford students rather than making money through tuition costs that exchange students pay.

Rigney also added that priority should be given to exchange students with a strong command of English.

8:15 p.m. to 9(75:00 to 132:58)

Tiano shared his experiences travelling with over two dozen other educators to Finland and Berlin, Germany.

Some key points from the presentation

·         All students speak multiple languages, there are fewer extracurricular activities.

·         Religion is taught in schools, but parents can decide which religion is taught and students can also be put into ethics programs instead.

·         There are no valedictorians, honors societies, school choice programs, teacher reviews, or standardized testing.

·         Teachers are paid at uniform rates across the country, there’s a national teacher’s union. Salaries there are comparable to salaries here, but cost of living is generally lower and cost of living is taken into account.

·         University tuition is free of charge for residents. There are three years of subsidized maternity leave and day care.

·         Per-pupil expenditure is uniform in every school district in the country. Finland spends less per student with higher results than the U.S., with 57 percent of the funding coming from the federal government.

·         School lunches are free.

·         Teacher training is key; certification can only be obtained from eight universities.

·         Teachers are well respected. Education lawyers are unheard of. Teachers are more trusted, and are expected to obtain Master’s degrees and specific training within whatever subject they teach. Teachers are also given, and expect more autonomy provided they follow national teachers’ manuals, although most teachers use the manuals as minimal standards.

·         National education policies are determined by an apolitical body, and curricula are changed every ten years based on differing needs, with small changes occurring constantly

·          Students are generally more engaged, the curriculum is based more on depth than covering everything. Teachers are given more time to plan lessons and students are encouraged to apply concepts rather than recall information. Students also have more classes that are shorter.

·         “Less is better” is a key concept

·         Students are more casual and are given more downtime, and there is a culture of trust between students and administrators as there is far less monitoring.

·         Finland is far behind the U.S. in terms of technology.

(1:32:58 to 1:56:60)

The School Committee discussed dates for future meetings and then Evelyn Thoren presented an update from the Wellness Subcommittee.

Health educators will come to the board to speak on allergy information as well as concerns over following state mandates on nutritional standards and foods brought in from home.

However, several members cited concerns over having restrictions going so far that they cancel events  within schools, not over allergies but other health contexts (i.e. – staff coffee hours)

Many food companies will no longer sell high-fat items to schools for liability issues.

Tiano requested clarity from the board on how principals in the district should move forward with specific guidelines within schools.

The board also discussed upcoming events they plan to hold informally with parents.