The underestimation of the role and value of rural schools is probably due to the judgment about rural society in terms of difference and diversity, that “ends up in disadvantage” (Corbett, 2015), while education in rural places ends up in inequality instead of equity for all, and so does not fulfil its core purpose (Dewey, 2004). The role of the small school is the means to advocate the stability of the population and a way to fight social vulnerability. Hence, we can agree with Lyson (2005) who proposes that:    

 "Schools in rural communities serve as a symbol of community autonomy, community vitality, community integration, personal control, personal and community tradition, and personal and community identity. . . . The capacity to maintain a school is a continuing indicator of a community’s wellbeing" (p. 49).  

At a national and international level, the topic of small and rural schools finds many investigation perspectives in the context of the educational research. 

Some of the most important fields of study are focused on the relationship between school and territory (Corbett & White, 2014; Bartolini et al., 2021), on the use of technologies and digital materiality to intervene on remoteness (Mangione & Cannella, 2020; Mangione & Calzone, 2020),  on the understanding of the advantages (e.g. small classes and closeness to the community - Barley, Brigham, 2008; Monk, 2007) and  disadvantages (difficulty in retaining highly qualified teachers and in multiclass management - Miller, 2012; Azano, Stewart, 2016) and lastly, researches that look to the alliances as a lever to trigger innovation processes and teacher training (Mangione and Cannella, 2018). 

In Italy, the research carried out by INDIRE has contributed, through service research activities, to the study of the distinctive features of the schools characterized by isolation, distance, low numbers of students (Bray, 1992; Heeralal, 2014) responding to the institutional need of detect the complexity of the educational phenomenon of small schools, so as to achieve a correct identification and to foster international dialogue (Bartolini et al., 2020). 

In 2020, on the basis of the research carried out by INDIRE within the National Network of Small Schools (Mangione & Cannella, 2020; Mangione et al., 2021), a qualitative explorative research has been started aimed at the creation of a Special Interest Group at European Schoolnet (EUN) dedicated to "Small and Rural schools". 14 European Ministries of Education took part to the quantitative survey. The following issues emerged: 

• None of the countries includes specific system measures such as a specific training for newly hired or in-service teachers working in rural schools, with the exception of Sweden. 

• Some countries have activated specific initiatives dedicated to the schools located in rural areas (France, Spain, Switzerland, Poland and Italy). 

• A common challenge is to manage the multiclasses as a form of peer learning and to use ICT to overcome isolation. 

• Most of the interviewees see the “network dimension” as an opportunity to exchange teaching practices and to train teachers. 

The above mentioned issues allowed the research group to design a research protocol for a case-based study to reconstruct the “grammar” of the small schools and find the types of emerging educational forms. The collaboration between researchers and practitioners (researchers-practice partnership) has regarded by EUN and INDIRE as a key element to solve the endemic problems of the small and rural schools, giving life to real "research alliances" (Coburn and Penuel, 2016). 24 European small schools (two schools for each of the countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey) have been identified to investigate the virtuous actions in the more isolated realities. 

Researchers developed a descriptive form organized into guiding-questions and designed for the collection of descriptive answers. The form was inspired by the need to define investigation tools able at preserving the open and listening profile of an exploratory research at the same time able at grasping the complexity of the context (such as narrative tools or the interview) (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Calderhead, 1981). The form has been organized around four survey dimensions: 1) Leadership and management (in terms of school vision, internal organization, quality teams, commissions, departments) 2) Teaching strategies (Digital Contents & Curricula, Classroom Management, Organization of Space and Time), 3) ICT as an inclusive tool (Remote teaching, Distance teaching) and 4) System innovation based on the alliance with local actors (collaboration with families, local authorities and third sector) or on schools networks. The research, centered on understanding the phenomena, returned reports of each case studies. Each report has been made by collecting the 24 narrative forms and analyzing the results of 24 semi-structured videointerviews with school leaders and teachers. The summary of the reports required INDIRE researchers to work with a "heuristic gaze" by exercising an epoché with respect to previous knowledge relating only to the Italian context (Mortari, 2010. Starting from the single reports, the researchers, making use of hybridized methods (Mortari & Ghirotto, 2019), i.e. methods that combine aspects of the phenomenological method with aspects of grounded-theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967), worked to obtain an exemplary knowledge that can support and guide interventions in the context of investigation. The research was characterized by: - a first phase in which each researcher has individually read the material, independently identifying the emerging conceptual categories (the "codes"); - a second phase characterized by the discussion among the researchers of the emerged categories; any disagreements and differences in interpretations were resolved through a negotiation process; - a third phase in which the identified codes were organized and grouped into more general themes. The themes and related codes were used to create the "codebook" (i.e. the set of codes and their related definitions). The codebook (or coding system) has made it possible to formulate descriptive theories of meanings, with the intention of providing the educational and scientific community with an accurate and profound understanding of relevant teaching and organizational practices in small European schools. The work reports and discusses some of the main findings that emerged for each identified theme.

The research allows to understand the existing types of small schools in Europe, the issues that each school experience as well as the good practices to capitalize (Mortari, 2010). A particular attention will be focused on the alliances between the school and the local context and the use of technology to teaching. As far as the outcomes is concerned , we expect to identify paradigmatic cases (Mortari, 2010b) such as those where the schools solved/faced the most common difficulties representative of borderline situation. EUN and INDIRE will also engage in developing a European Manifesto for a model of schooling in small and rural schools that could improve the performance and well-being of rural education. It will promote networking and mentoring among schools as an attempt to manage teachers professional development.

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