Early Education in Finland with Kristiina Kumpulainen

Finland’s educational system is regularly ranked among the best in the world. Surprisingly, Finnish children are not required to go to start attending school until they are seven years old. Kristiina Kumpulainen explains the specifics of the first two years of Finnish elementary school.

Kristiina Kumpulainen is a director of information and evaluation services at the Finnish National Board of Education. She previously was a professor at the University of Helsinki where she directed CICERO Learning, the national multidisciplinary research network on learning.

The Early Math Collaborative, supported by the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, held international symposia in 2009 and 2010. The two events brought experts from around the world to share approaches to early mathematics education with teachers, administrators, policy-makers, and other education professionals. The goal was to generate globally-informed ideas and recommendations for improving math instruction in the early childhood classroom. In breakout discussions and plenary sessions, participants brainstormed ideas, identified issues, and recommended actions.