Evidence Matters | Discovering Estonia: Lessons from a Nation Deeply Committed to Education

by Angela Baum

This spring, I had the privilege of joining The Riley Institute’s field study to Estonia, a small Baltic nation often celebrated as a global leader in education. We set out to learn why Estonian students consistently perform so well on international education assessments, but what I discovered went far beyond test scores.

From the moment our program began, I was struck by the shared sense of purpose that runs through Estonian society. It’s a tight-knit community with a deep commitment to nurturing the next generation. In Estonia, education isn’t just about individual achievement, it’s seen as vital to the health, well-being, and future strength of the entire country.

While our group initially set out to understand Estonia’s investment in educational technology, it quickly became clear that the country’s success is built on far more than digital tools. It’s the result of a broad, thoughtful ecosystem designed to support children and families from the very beginning.

Some of my most meaningful takeaways from our visit included:

Strong family supports: Estonia provides generous paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers, signaling that caring for young children is a shared societal priority. Family well-being isn’t treated as a private matter, but as a public good.

Early learning excellence: There’s a clear belief that high-quality early childhood education lays the foundation for lifelong success. Preschool attendance is nearly universal, and the curriculum values curiosity, play, and emotional development just as much as academics.

Public trust: Estonians have a strong confidence in their government’s commitment to the well-being of its people, including in education policy. This trust allows for long-term planning and reforms that benefit students and teachers alike.

Teacher autonomy: Educators are trusted professionals. The government provides clear standards for what students should know and be able to do, but teachers and schools are empowered to decide how best to get there. This balance of accountability and independence encourages creativity and innovation in the classroom.

Learning from Estonia’s History

What impressed me most was how deeply these modern values are grounded in Estonia’s unique history. To understand their education system today, we have to understand what the Estonian people have endured and what they’ve chosen to prioritize because of it.

For centuries, Estonia was ruled by foreign powers, first the Danes and Swedes, then the Russian Empire, and for much of the 20th century, the Soviet Union. When independence finally came, it was was hard-won and fiercely protected. During the Soviet occupation, Estonian language and culture were often suppressed, yet education became a quiet form of resistance. Teachers kept Estonian traditions, history, and identity alive, even when the official curriculum discouraged it.

This experience left a lasting mark. When Estonia regained its independence in 1991, its people carried forward a shared understanding of how education could sustain a nation’s spirit through hardship. That history helps explain why they invest so deeply in ensuring every child has access to an excellent education and why cultural preservation and civic responsibility remain at the heart of schooling today.

Estonia’s commitment to digital innovation isn’t just about efficiency or technology for its own sake. It’s a continuation of that same drive for resilience and self-reliance. Digital tools help keep the country connected, transparent, and globally competitive, even as a small nation. But beneath the technology lies a moral commitment: to empower citizens through knowledge and participation.

Values That Shape a Nation

The Estonian model is powerful because it weaves together values that were forged through adversity—community trust, personal responsibility, and respect for knowledge. The people we met spoke about education not as a service they receive, but as an endeavor they help sustain. Parents, teachers, and policymakers all see themselves as stewards of the nation’s future.

Perhaps that’s what moved me most: the sense that Estonia’s remarkable achievements rest not on wealth or size, but on cohesion and purpose. In a country of just 1.3 million people, every child truly matters.

I left Estonia with deep admiration for the its people and a renewed appreciation for how thoughtful design and shared purpose can elevate an entire education system. Estonia reminds us that history can be both a burden and a gift, and that when a society learns from its past, it can build a future rooted in trust, equity, and possibility.

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Angela C. Baum, Ph.D., is Interim Dean and Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina College of Education, where she leads initiatives in teacher preparation and educator development. A nationally recognized expert, her work focuses on teacher wellbeing and professional support for educator working with children from birth to age five.