Finnish Schools at the top

Kids don't start school until they're 7. The school day is shorter than in most developed nations.
The country does little standardized testing and only on a sample of schools. Educators don't talk "literacy" and "numeracy" -instead, the buzzword is "citizen skills".
So how is Finland at the top of world rankings when it comes to international testing?
"We emphasize the teaching profession," said Timo Lankinen, director general of the Finnish National Board of Education, who spoke Tuesday at Ontario's first ever education summit Toronto.
Lankinen said teaching is a prestigious profession in Finland-although the pay is average-with just 13 per cent of applicants snagging a teacher-training spot. ( Ontario's applicants should not be discouraged with these numbers.)
All teachers earn master's degrees as they progress in their careers and they are well supported, he said. Class sizes are small, usually less than 20 students in schools with generally no more than 300 kids.
"It helps teachers give individual attention," he said in an interview after his speech, and they also focus on giving students experiential learning to keep them interested in school.
The country is not sitting on its laurels and is now planning reforms "to go from good to great"-more arts and physical education in the curriculum and a longer school day in order to fit them in.
Another presenter also mentioned a focus on arts and physical education. Wonder what effect these facts will have on Ontario education where the arts are not well supported and physical education is almost non-existent for students after grade 9.
Interesting food for thought.