Chalk & Talk

The Finland myth, East Asia’s rise, and what makes education systems work with Montserrat Gomendio (Ep 68)

Apr 3, 2026
Guest
Montserrat (Montse) Gomendio
Montserrat (Montse) Gomendio, former Spanish Secretary of State for Education and ex-OECD education leader, brings global evidence on what makes systems succeed. She discusses PISA’s role and limits. She unpacks the Finland story, contrasts East Asian strengths, and highlights three system pillars: teacher quality, knowledge-rich curricula, and aligned assessments.
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INSIGHT

Equity Means Minimizing Background Effects

  • Equity should mean minimizing the impact of socioeconomic and background factors, not forcing identical outcomes for all students.
  • Gomendio argues systems must set high expectations and provide early compensatory measures so disadvantaged students can catch up.
ADVICE

Use Early Flexible Grouping To Help Lagging Students

  • Use flexible early interventions like temporary ability grouping or early tracking when starting points are widely divergent.
  • Gomendio cites Singapore's historical use of primary tracking to reduce early school leaving before delaying tracking later.
INSIGHT

The Finland Legend Comes From One Cycle

  • Finland's PISA fame came from one strong reading cycle in 2000 and a pre-2000 system that differed from later reforms.
  • Gomendio says excellent teachers and involved parents drove that result, and later autonomy without matching teacher quality coincided with decline.
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