The article mentions the school systems in Finland as a potential model for our public school system, though there are economic differences. I was curious, so here are a couple of relevant links.

This article from BBC summarizes the basics, plus a couple videos. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8601207.stm This focuses in particular on student age, school structure, and respect for the teaching profession.

An longer article about Finland's school reforms since the 1970s. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3098447