The Fruits of EqualitySpring 2007 newsletter column

The Fruits of Equality
By Cecile Andrews

In my book, Slow is Beautiful, I explore one of the fundamental causes of our frenzied society: the gap between the rich and the poor. Recent research (see Greed and Good by Sam Pizzigati) has found that the biggest predictor of the health of a nation (particularly as measured in longevity) is the wealth gap and the size of the middle class. The bigger the middle class, the greater the life expectancy. It’s not just because the poor have bad health care; everyone is affected. The rich person in our society is no better off than the average person in a country like Denmark or Holland where there is much greater wealth equality. One of the reasons seems to be that when this kind of gap occurs, everyone is chasing after higher status and this striving for status undermines our health in many ways. Recently I discovered a good example that illustrates this: Equality is also one of the biggest predictors of educational achievement.

US News and World Report (March 26- April 2) had a special section about ways we can learn from the rest of the world. One article talked about how Finland has some of the best schools. Finnish 15 year-olds score at the top in reading, math and science in an international ranking. They’re also top in literacy. The U.S., on the other hand, is way down the list at about 18th, 22nd, and 28th, respectively. Finland also has the smallest gap between the best and weakest students, and is number two in gaps between schools.

The article talks about what Finnish schools have done to bring this about. For one, teaching has high prestige, up there with doctors and lawyers. Classes are small. And one of the most interesting facts is that there are no “honors” classes or “college prep” classes. Finland got rid of the class system of vocational and college-bound schools and created comprehensive schools where even the learning disabled are in the same classes as all the rest.

Cecile's column continued here....

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