Center for Leadership in Education director reports on visit to Finland in school superintendents publication

Dr. Tom Shields, professor of education and director of the Center for Leadership in Education at the University of Richmond School of Professional and Continuing Studies, reflects on a recent visit to Finland by members of the Virginia Education Leaders Delegation in the Late Fall edition of VASS News.

Shields joined 49 other education leaders from Virginia over Thanksgiving break in a trip to Paris and Helsinki to discuss Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results with research officials and educators. The goal of the delegation visit was to identify implications of research results for education policy in Virginia.

In the late fall edition of VASS News, the newsletter of the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, Shields published his reflections and reactions to the delegation visit in a cover story titled “When Tests Fail: Why Our Public Education System needs to Rethink High-Stakes Standardized Testing.”

Shields concludes his reflection with the following statement: “One can only hope that standardized testing is on the way out. If we don’t develop an equitable education system that requires our students to be innovative and creative thinkers, we will continue to be beaten by Finland and other countries on these important international tests. More importantly, however, is the loss of a child’s interest in education and their future.”

The full text of the story can be downloaded at VASS online.