The success of the Nordic countries' education systems have held the interest of educators and policy makers globally for years. Scores of teachers, principals and legislators from the US and elsewhere have visited Finland in hopes of understanding what it is that Finland does that could be copied and applied at home to obtain similar results. This course explores the goals, structures, incentives, funding and results of various education systems, with a focus on the Finnish and American systems. Recognizing that education systems are complex, the aim is to understand what combination of factors (class sizes, funding, teacher training, teaching philosophy and methods, etc) are most conducive in terms of encouraging and educating the student population.