(CNN) -- Millions of American parents spend countless hours trying to figure out how to help their children get better grades, better teachers or better schools. They may want to take a page from Finland, which is considered to have one of the leading education systems in the world. Finnish students consistently score near the top in the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, for reading, mathematics and science. The 2012 PISA results tell us that in these three subjects combined Finland ranks third after Korea and Japan. In comparison, American students' combined performance in reading, mathematics and science places the United States at 21st among 34 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries.
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Many American parents worry about their kids getting good grades and doing well in school
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Pasi Sahlberg: Finland has one of the leading education systems in the world
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He says U.S. can learn from Finland in building an education system that enhances equity
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Sahlberg: U.S. education focuses on testing and data, which skews teaching priorities
There are three things that have positively affected the quality of @placeholder schools that are absent in American schools.
Some aspects of the @placeholder school system are not helpful in improving education quality and equity.