Territorial Governance of Schooling and Education in Rural Areas: Case Studies from Northern Germany

Abstract

Rural areas across Europe suffer from population decline, which eventually leads to an increased closure of small elementary schools. In order to avoid both school closure and demographic decline, policymakers have in some cases integrated schooling and education into a broader concept of territorial governance. On a conceptual level the author of this contribution critically examines the interconnection between the governance of schooling and education on the one hand and local territorial governance strategies on the other. The supporters of both policies share the goal of local and demographic development, and researchers thus usually underline the synergies between the two processes. However, the author examines the consequences of three selected educational reforms and points out the possibly ambiguous outcomes when local school development is carried out in the name of demographic development. He analyzes two neighboring rural districts with different coping strategies as case studies.