The Finnish Comprehensive School

Abstract

Abstract For a decade, Finnish education, claimed to be among the best in the world, has basked in international glory. This reputation is largely due to the country’s success in the Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA), run by the OECD. The aim of this chapter is to critically examine this purported policy success of the Finnish comprehensive school from the perspective of complexity theories. By drawing on different research and statistical data, the chapter critically analyses the extent to which the Finnish comprehensive school can be seen as a success story in terms of performance. Using the well-reported history of the comprehensive school, it teases out the milestones of its development, while pointing to contingencies and path dependencies along the way, which have led to its legitimate position. It also reviews scholarly accounts in contrast to the political debates. Finally, the chapter sums up the complex development of comprehensive education and discusses the question under heated debate: what, if anything, can we learn from it?