Download or read book The Educational Infrastructure in Rural Areas written by Martine Safra and published by OECD. This book was released on 1994 with total page 46 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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)