What makes Finnish schools successful?

Long, almost incredulous piece in the Wall Street Journal by Ellen Gamerman comparing the Finnish school system with the US system - via Stephen Downes. (A similar comparison could have been made with the English system, and there was BBC news coverage of this back in 2004; and here is a previous Fortnightly Mailing post about this year's PISA data.) Here is an extract:

"Finnish teachers pick books and customize lessons as they shape students to national standards. 'In most countries, education feels like a car factory. In Finland, the teachers are the entrepreneurs,' says Mr. Schleicher, of the Paris-based OECD, which began the international student test in 2000.

One explanation for the Finns' success is their love of reading. Parents of newborns receive a government-paid gift pack that includes a picture book. Some libraries are attached to shopping malls, and a book bus travels to more remote neighborhoods like a Good Humor truck."