Giving Compass' Take:

• Michael Hynes and William Doyle share insight from Finland, where innovative classroom practices and school reforms have shown positive results.

• From emphasizing well-being to investing resources fairly (and even shortening the school day), there is plenty of practical wisdom here that educators in the U.S. should carefully consider.

• Read more about the principles that make Finland's schools successful. 

Delegations and universities from China and around the developing world are visiting Finland to learn how to improve their own school systems, which often serve diverse and economically disadvantaged populations. Finland has a wide range of cognitive diversity among its own students, with a third receiving special-education services at some point in their school experience. Many of the insights that Finland has put into classroom practice have come from the United States and are applicable to children and cultures the world over. Singapore has launched a series of Finnish-style school reforms.

As Isaac Adaam, a public-school father and immigrant to Finland from Ghana, told us, if you don’t want to learn from the Finnish system because it’s not racially diverse, “I think that you’re missing the point.” The point, he said, is “the human values and the human principles that one learns in childhood. It doesn’t matter where you come from.”

As we traveled through Finland, we met with top government officials, education professors, classroom teachers and elementary-school students.

We were stunned by what we observed: A society that selects and respects teachers like elite professionals; a world-class network of vocational and technical schools; a school system that reveres and protects childhood and encourages children to experience joy in learning — where teachers shower children with warmth and attention; where children are given numerous free-play breaks; where special-education students are supported; and where children thrive.

Read the full article about the 12-step education program from Finland by Michael Hynes and William Doyle at The Hechinger Report.