Why Not the Best Schools: Brian Caldwell Has His Say. (October 30, 2008)

Brian Caldwell is a former Dean of Education at The University of Melbourne. He, together with Jessica Harris, have just published the analyses of the school systems in Australia, China, England, Finland, United States and Wales.

As they describe their effort: "What we have learned from outstanding schools around the world."

Click here to listen to Professor Caldwell outline the findings and why they concluded that it is Finland that tops the list (7'35").

What the analyses boil down to is that good individuals, must be attracted to the profession, must be well trained and then be given good conditions in which to work. Just throwing assessments and rewards at a system that does not have the proper "infrastructure" is valueless and may even be counterproductive.

Finally, to learn more about Professor Caldwell click here.