BRAVE QUESTIONS

Looking For Answers

Brave Questions: An International Discussion about Public Education in the 21st Century is a one, day-long seminar planned for educational professionals and the general public. Part of the City of San Diego’s month long emphasis on Finland, the seminar will occur on August 9th, 2011, the day before the opening of the FinnFest USA's annual festival and conference to be held this year at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center, in San Diego, California.

Brave Questions will bring together teachers, parents, administrators and professors from Finland and the USA to explore questions related to educational achievement in the context of the 21st Century realities of hard economic times and increasing societal violence and alienation. This seminar will bring a cross-national focus on best practices and new challenges.

The high Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores achieved by Finland’s students has been the topic of much discussion recently in the US media. This seminar will enable Americans to hear in far greater detail how this has happened and why the children of Nordic countries in general have consistently remained at the top of these exams. At the same time, this seminar will permit Finnish educational leaders to hear more about America’s vast experience with education accomplished in a culturally pluralistic setting.

The event is free and open to the public. The seminar is being developed to create a Town Hall meeting atmosphere where everyone can listen, talk, and learn. The goal is to create a broad public discussion about education, something possible only if the event is financially accessible across the economic spectrum. The seminar reaches out to include teachers, administrators, parents, and anyone interested in and affected by education. This seminar aims to provide a safe and cost effective place to examine issues facing educators across the two countries.