During the last decade, thousands of visitors have flocked to Finland--now a leader in education rankings--to uncover this small Nordic country's secret to its education success. In this article, Finnish educator and scholar Pasi Sahlberg explains how Finland has managed such a feat. A rigorous graduate degree and at least five years of full-time study serve as the foundation of the teaching profession in Finland. That academic graduate degree is based on research; Finnish teachers' knowledge of the research is integral to the decisions they make in the classroom. In addition, all universities that prepare teachers in Finland have a clinical training school similar to the university teaching hospitals that are a part of medical education. According to Sahlberg, teaching will only become a more popular career choice among our youth if the basic qualification to become a teacher is elevated to a Master's degree, and professional leadership will only flourish among teachers if they have the autonomy to influence what and how they teach and determine how well their students are performing. "Not only are better educated teachers more effective in the classroom," cautions Sahlberg, "but they're also better equipped to keep their education systems healthy and free from toxic reform ideas that are harmful to both teachers and children."