Before a country's workforce can improve, that country must have a large number of educated citizens. The post-war governments of Finland and South Korea understood this and made it their goal to focus their populations' attention on education in order to improve their standard of living. The number of dedicated teachers and parents involved in the educational lives of their students has increased significantly. Federal and local governments got involved and made it possible for every child to attend a public school as close to home as possible. Improvements in the education systems of both countries have been evident in every family home. A strong education system requires value, availability for all, and specific goals set by the program. Primary school teachers, active in the most sought-after career, enjoy great prestige among the populations of South Korean and Finnish societies (Dalporto). About a quarter of all Finnish students seek education as a career path (Pellissier). Students training to begin a career as an educator are not in it for the money, but for the honor of providing the next generation with the knowledge of previous and present generations. Students can take the information that people from the past have found for them and incorporate it into whatever field of work they choose to enter. Parents and other adult figures help students realize the importance of school attendance from an early age. This way, the student dropout rate remains quite low and more of them seek to continue their education after high school, such as at a college or trade school. Finnish students who wish to participate in any type of teacher preparation program must develop a predilection for teaching as well as achieving scientific success...... middle of article ......enchmarking/country the most efficient/>.Pellissier, Hank. "The Finnish Miracle - Academics and Activities | GreatSchools." GreatSchools - Public and private school ratings, reviews, and parent community. Grandes écoles, nd Web. March 19, 2014. Pellissier, Hank. “Lessons from South Korea – Academic Skills | GreatSchools.” GreatSchools - Public and private school ratings, reviews, and parent community. Grandes écoles, nd Web. March 19, 2014. Rampell, Catherine. “Class sizes around the world”. Comments on Economix class sizes around the world. The New York Times, September 11, 2009. Web. March 13, 2014. Tomlin, Carolyn R. “Social and Emotional Development.” Early childhood NEWS. Np, and Web. April 14, 2014.Zhao, Emmeline. "Best Education in the World: Finland and South Korea's Best Country Rankings, US Rated Average." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, November 27, 2012. Web. March 7. 2014.