What's working in Education: Longer classes and the Flexible Finns

The difference between a traditional
and block schedule at the Calhoun School.

While politicians who've never taught one day are determining the future of your children's education (I'm talking to you, Arne Duncan), there are some educators quietly going about the business of true reform.

In NYC, students at the private Calhoun School take classes in a block schedule. One class meets for over two hours, allowing students and teachers to cover material in greater depth:

Instead of the traditional schedule of eight 45-minute classes each day, with courses broken into two semesters, high school students at Calhoun intensively study three to five subjects in each of five terms, or modules, that are 32 to 36 days long. Classes are in blocks of 65 or 130 minutes each day. Every day, students have 45 minutes of “community time,” an intentionally unstructured period for the students to hang out.

Block schedules aren't perfect, as anyone who's taught in one can tell you. Absences - student or teacher - make catching up on missed assignments difficult, and there's also the problem of taking a boring, 50-minute class and making it less so in 130 minutes.

If we really want to reform schools, we need to look at the Finns. Finland's top priority is getting the absolute best candidates into college education programs. National testing is a thing of the past. So is mandatory college-prep after age 16 (students may transfer to an academic or vocational school then). 

In this interview on HuffPo, Finland's educational leaders are asked what makes the best public school system. Their answer:

The education system must be equitable, accessible, and flexible. Global competitiveness requires that all people develop competencies for life and work, not just some people. This means that a successful education system should help young people to discover their talents and build their lives based on them. Reading, mathematical, and scientific literacy will remain important, but their role as 'core subjects' in competitive education systems will be challenged by creativity, networking skills, and imagination.

An equitable education system makes sure that all students will perform well. It will provide early support to those who need more help in their learning than others. It will also emphasize caring and well-being in school (through healthy nutrition, medical, dental and psychological health), rights of students in school, and shared responsibilities in education and upbringing of children with parents.

Accessibility means that the education system provides good schooling for all, regardless of where people live or what they do. The education system that can offer unified and comprehensive basic education, rather than diversified provision of schooling (through private or non-public schools), will have better opportunities to respond to the changing needs of the competitive and complex world.

Yeah, that sounds about right.