Finnish perceptions of PISA Success: Previous Research, Part Five

In addition to explaining reasons behind Finnish success in PISA on its website, the Finnish National Board of Education holds yearly conferences addressing the topic.  I attended this conference twice, once in 2005 and once in 2008.  

The 2008 conference listed the following as notable features of the Finnish education system:

1. Equal opportunities for education
2. Regional accessibility to education
3. Decentralized administration -- local implementation
4. Publicly funded education system
5. School free of charge
6. State financial aid scheme for students
7. Learning environment with possibilities of individual attention, innovation, recognition of prior learning
8. Virtuous cycle of teaching
9. Welfare state crucial to the success of education

In general, the sources mentioned in this post and previous posts (Valijarvi, et al., Valijarvi and Linnakyla, the Ministry of Education in Finland, the Finnish National Board of Education) give consistent reasons for Finland's PISA success.