When Joseph Calvin Gagnon, Ph.D., began reviewing what special education teachers in Finland were actually teaching, he expected to find a system running on all cylinders. Finland, after all, has spent decades setting the global standard for education — its students consistently rank among the top in international math assessments, its teachers hold master's degrees by requirement, and its schools are built around robust support systems. But the study, published in the Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, found something more complicated: a system of highly qualified educators still wrestling with consistent gaps in both practice and confidence.
Gagnon, who chairs the Department of Special Education at Florida Atlantic University's College of Education, surveyed Finnish special needs and special class teachers working with students in grades 7 through 9. He asked them to report on instruction across core math areas — algebra, geometry, functions, problem-solving — as well as their use of evidence-based practices like explicit instruction, self-monitoring, math discourse, and peer-supported learning. The results painted a nuanced picture: roughly 90% of teachers felt prepared to teach most areas of mathematics, and the group was exceptionally experienced, with an average of more than 16 years in the classroom.
Yet data processing, statistics and probability emerged as a clear outlier — a topic area where both instruction and teacher confidence lagged noticeably behind the rest. This wasn't an isolated problem. Teachers also reported inconsistent use of high-impact strategies like scaffolding, peer tutoring, mastery learning, and graduated instructional sequences, even though these approaches are well-established as effective for struggling learners. "The key takeaway is that preparation alone isn't enough," Gagnon said. "We need to ensure teachers feel confident teaching all areas of math, especially data-related concepts, and that they consistently use evidence-based practices that we know help students succeed."
The irony is that Finland's teacher pipeline is among the most rigorous in the world. Entry into Finnish teacher education programs is highly selective, and all teachers are required to earn master's degrees. Special needs teachers work as co-teachers, consultants and instructors in both inclusive and small-group settings, a model many countries aspire to replicate. But even here, many teachers reported taking relatively few university courses focused specifically on teaching mathematics to students with learning difficulties — a gap that may help explain the inconsistencies in both confidence and practice.
For Gagnon, the lesson is clear: even the world's strongest education systems have room to grow. The next frontier, he argues, isn't just recruiting well-prepared teachers but ensuring they receive ongoing professional development tailored to the specific challenges of teaching all students, particularly those who need more support. "Finland offers an important lesson — not just in what works, but in what still needs attention," Gagnon said. The goal is straightforward: every student, regardless of need, deserves access to the full range of mathematical skills required for success in school and beyond.