Dive Brief:

• High-performing Finnish schools steer clear of tech-centric classrooms, illuminating a noticeable contrast to America's efforts to outfit all classrooms with the latest tech gadgets.  
• The Obama Administration recently shifted around $2 billion in funding and asked for an additional $2 billion in contributions so that schools across the nation could access broadband and purchase various tech gadgets.   
• Finnish students, meanwhile, see none of this technology in the classroom and still outperform American students on the PISA exam since 2001. Finland's ability to do well without gadgets has some questioning the rhetoric surrounding technology and its importance in the classroom.   

Dive Insight:

While Finland's scores on the PISA have dropped in recent years — they're No. 5 in reading, No. 12 in math, and No. 5 in science — the nation still ranks higher than the United States and many of the other 14 countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.  

These high scores, coupled with Finland's minimal use of technology, has some questioning why America wouldn't mimic the same model. Before we write off all tablets and SMART Boards, however, we should consider a few things. Namely, it is not just technology that sets Finland's education system apart from the United States. Finland also has no charter or private schools, all education is free, teaching is a highly respected career field, unions work cooperatively with the government, high-stakes testing is not common, and the government doesn't involve itself in teacher evaluations.  

These other differences must be considered. America stripping technology from its classrooms would not make its education system look like Finland's — it's just part of the whole package.  

Additionally, Finland's culture and overall size is so different from America's that it would be difficult to tell whether or not its systems would actually work here.  As Finnish education minister Krista Kiuru stressed, countries should not be copying education models just because other countries have found success. Finland, for example, purposely distances itself from education models used in top-performing Asian countries because it knows they wouldn't be a good fit for the small, Nordic nation.

Regardless of Finland's lack of technology, the U.S. should independently consider how it uses technology.  Too many tech issues, like the Los Angeles Unified Public School iPad  fiasco and the high number of tech glitches during this year's state tests, point to the need for some serious brainstorming and re-planning.