The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing problems in education systems worldwide, with many countries experiencing stagnation or declines in student performance even before the pandemic. Finland, once hailed as a top performer, has seen its math performance deteriorate since 2006, with the proportion of low-performing students increasing from 7 percent in 2000 to 25 percent in 2022.
According to PISA estimates from 2012 to 2022, Finnish students’ performance declined by the equivalent of an entire school year in all three tested subjects—reading, math, and science. The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture has called the downward trend “extremely disconcerting,” while OECD’s director for education and skills, Andreas Schleicher, has expressed puzzlement over the long-term decline in performance.
Decline in Student Performance
Schleicher has identified one common mistake: prioritizing student wellbeing over academic success. He believes that student wellbeing should be achieved through academic success, not at the expense of it. Some authors have warned of the dangers of ignoring Finland’s decline, pointing to factors such as a very “inclusive” model, weak accountability systems, and a narrowed curriculum.
Portugal, on the other hand, saw significant improvements in student performance between 2006 and 2015 after implementing reforms such as national standardized exams and improved teacher training. However, after the government changed to a progressive coalition in 2015, these reforms were reversed, and achievement declines were seen in the 2018 PISA test results.
In Portugal, the new government implemented a measure limiting grade retention to “exceptional circumstances,” and during the Covid-19 pandemic, standards were further relaxed while students’ grades were inflated. This created a distorted picture of rising student performance, contradicted by results on international assessments.
Impact of Progressive Policies
Spain provides a vivid example of policies intended to leave no one behind that in practice failed everyone. Despite having relatively short school closures, Spain suffered the second-largest drop in performance among countries that closed schools for fewer than 50 days. The magnitude of the decline in Spain rivals countries that closed schools for much longer.
Before the pandemic, student achievement levels in Spain were below the OECD average and had been stagnant for decades. Improvements began around 2015-16 during the implementation of an education reform law, but when the conservative government lost power in 2018, the new left-wing coalition undid the reforms. This reversal coincided with a pre-Covid decline in student outcomes on international tests that continued during and after the pandemic.
Spain’s education system was decentralized in the 1980s and 1990s, with regions becoming responsible for school management. However, no national or regional examinations with common standards were established, despite degrees being issued by the national Ministry of Education. The education reform law, LOMCE, was the first effort to implement national standardized tests, but it faced fierce criticism and was eventually scrapped.
During the pandemic, the central government declared a state of emergency, empowering it to make uniform decisions for all 17 Spanish regions. The government’s stated priorities in education were leaving no one behind and enhancing student wellbeing, but policymakers lowered standards for all students rather than providing more support for those who were struggling.
The curricular content was reduced, and students progressed to the next grade level even if their grades in specific courses were unsatisfactory. Those who failed several subjects still obtained the national education degree at the end of lower and upper secondary education. This approach was meant to be a temporary measure but became the new normal with the approval of a new education law, LOMLOE, at the end of 2020.
LOMLOE made grade repetition exceptional, allowing students who failed several subjects to move on to the next grade and eventually obtain the national degree.
