ERIC Number: ED385405
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994
Pages: 38
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: ISBN-92-64-14189-8
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Educational Infrastructure in Rural Areas.
Safra, Martine
The rural areas in the world are experiencing an identity crisis: for example, in France some areas are losing population, while those that are growing find that the population is changing from agricultural workers to retired persons and blue-collar and white-collar employees. This report, which summarizes discussion at a recent Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) seminar, examines some of the strategies available for redefining the role of schools in changing rural areas. Since rural areas vary considerably, it is impossible to establish a norm for a model school, yet some general points include the need to make decisions in light of children's academic future on the one hand, while, on the other hand, considering the school's role in local development and in the broad debate on revitalizing rural areas. Instead of proposals for a rigid model system, what is needed is consideration, at the site level, of the objectives of each school group. OECD countries seem determined to provide pupils with diverse but genuine solutions, including cooperation, clustering, and the use of new technologies to relieve the isolation of rural schools while expanding the range of social services they provide to their communities. Sections of this report focus on various approaches related to (1) maintenance of small schools versus mergers; (2) school role in meeting student needs and in community development; (3) architectual design of rural schools; and (4) financial considerations in school size, transportation, and new technologies. (TD)
Descriptors: Consolidated Schools, Educational Facilities Design, Educational Finance, Educational Policy, Elementary Secondary Education, Foreign Countries, Rural Areas, Rural Development, Rural Education, Rural Schools, School Attitudes, School Community Relationship, School Role, School Size, Small Schools
OECD Publications and Information Centre, 2001 L Street, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036-4910 ($9); French edition also available.
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris (France). Programme on Educational Building.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A