Denmark: Lessons for American Principals and Teachers?

Abstract

The Danish system has so many positive aspects that it would seem to merit adoption, Mr. Morrill notes. Moreover, that Danish students generally outscore American students in international math and science competitions seems to suggest that increased emphasis on testing is not what American schools need. THE U.S. and Denmark, long NATO allies, share many things, but attitudes and beliefs with regard to the proper role of government, the alleged efficacy of unregulated free markets, and what constitutes a civilized society vary considerably in the two countries. Whereas policy making in the U.S. has long been characterized by the conflict of competing individual rights and special interests, Danish policy making seems to exemplify a concern for the common good and decision making by consensus. In Denmark, making sure that no one is left behind is more than expedient political rhetoric. Deciding policy on the basis of its impact on the least advantaged members of the society is taken as a given, even by politicians in the Conservative Party. Vast differences in income and wealth -- so typical of the U.S. in recent decades -- are regarded by the Danes as a primary cause of social pathologies. Consequently, Danish social policy since the early 20th century has sought to foster social harmony by avoiding great gaps in income and wealth between social and occupational groups. This is not to say that there is no diversity in Denmark or that the individual freedoms and creativity of the Danes are being stifled. On the contrary, it would seem that a higher percentage of Danes are empowered to develop themselves as individuals because of the support they receive from society. The differences in attitudes and beliefs between the U.S. and Denmark are especially noticeable in the area of education. Because education has been a political hot potato in the U.S. for some time, it might be instructive to take a closer look at Danish attitudes toward such issues as testing, classroom management, and the role of the schools in socialization. I base my arguments here on a decade of firsthand observations of Danish child-rearing practices and schooling. From October 1990 to February 2000, I lived and worked in Denmark. During the latter years of that period, my son attended a community-run preschool day-care center, kindergarten, and grades 1 though 4 of a public school. The 'Class Teacher' System in Denmark The major difference between the American public schools and the Danish public schools at the primary and lower-secondary levels -- that is, grades 1 though 9 -- is that Danish children and their parents know that from first grade at age 7, the same 20 or so classmates, more or less evenly divided between boys and girls, will remain together for the next several years. Danish children will also have the same year after year. The typical Danish class will consist of a mix of children from various family backgrounds (working class, merchant class, professional class) and exhibiting a variety of interests (artistic, athletic, cultural, etc.). No attempt is made to group the children by ability within the individual classes. Rather, it is more likely that the class will be formed on the basis of residential patterns. Children who live and play together in the same neighborhood will be grouped in a class. Once composed, the class will stay together with the same as it progresses through the primary and lower-secondary grades. Typically, though not always, the is the teacher with whom the class has its Danish language and literature lessons. During the primary grades, the class will usually have a second and third teacher who divide up the responsibility for teaching math, science, social studies, music, and art. By the lower-secondary grades, a class may have as many as five or six teachers. One of the main responsibilities of the is to coordinate the activities of the class with the other teachers and to mediate whenever members of the class have academic or behavioral problems in lessons taught by the other teachers. …