Rural Municipalities and Change in Local School Structure: Comparing Room for Manoeuvre among Rural Municipalities in Latvia and Norway

Rural depopulation, decreasing numbers of children, and general centralization, combined with high expectations for education, are factors that challenge rural communities and school structures in both Latvia and Norway. The aim of this article is to compare the role of the municipality and other le...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scandinavian journal of educational research 2019-11, Vol.63 (7), p.1070-1085
Main Authors: Šūpule, Inese, Søholt, Susanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrative Organization
Case Studies
Children
Comparative Analysis
Cross Cultural Studies
Decision Making
Education
Education governance
Educational Administration
Educational Change
Educational Finance
Educational Objectives
Educational Policy
Elementary Secondary Education
Expectation
Foreign Countries
Governance
Human Capital
Municipalities
Negotiation
Public Officials
Role
role of rural municipalities
Rural Areas
rural depopulation
Rural Education
School Closing
school closure
School Restructuring
Stakeholders
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Summary:Rural depopulation, decreasing numbers of children, and general centralization, combined with high expectations for education, are factors that challenge rural communities and school structures in both Latvia and Norway. The aim of this article is to compare the role of the municipality and other levels of governance in making decisions on school structure in rural municipalities. The research method is a multiple-case-study approach, supported by survey data. Through the lenses of multi-level governance theory, we have investigated how national frameworks such as regulations and educational expectations are affecting local decision-making. Local politicians navigate between national frameworks and local expectations in making their decisions on school reorganization and closure. We find that local stakeholders' perceptions of rural educational objectives and possibilities are embedded in their role(s) in society. Closing of schools causes conflicting pressures and dissension between different stakeholders. We find that local negotiations might generate better solutions and less-contested decisions.
ISSN:0031-3831
1470-1170
DOI:10.1080/00313831.2018.1476916