Challenges of the municipal school network planning

Author(s):

Sami Tantarimäki(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2011

Network:

14. Communities, Families and Schooling in Educational Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

14 SES 01 A, Eductional Apects of Rural Schooling – Possibilities, Challenges and Changes

Paper Session

Time:

2011-09-13

13:15-14:45

Room:

KL 25/134,G, 70

Chair:

Rune Kvalsund

Contribution

School closure has been a current and touchy subject already for decades in Finland. Still it surprises how less it is learned from the good practises and/or experiences. Why it is like that? Why and of what to argue? Is there similarities in different closure processes? Is the objective accounting method of savings possible? How to go ahead with participating school network planning? Where is evaluation?

Lot of research has been done concerning education, teaching and school system, but slighly when talking about school closure process, regional development and municipal decision making point of view. In the research “From elementary school to memory school?” (Financed by the Rural Policy Committee, 2009-2010) aim was to do a comparative case study of the closure process and costs of Finnish rural elementary schools (grades 1-6) closed in 2007 (10 school cases in 6 municipalities). It has been observed how the municipality and school community play together, how unchanged the discussion and school planning has remained, and how the school community meets the change. Object was also to clarify the real savings of the closures.

Reasons for closure are mostly the worsening economical situation in munipality and/or small enrolment of school(s). At the same time it seems to be forgotten that there is also pedagogical, social, juridical and health side in the wholeness. There is a gulf between inhabitants and decision makers. Thus the experienced reality is easily differently coloured, the wholeness is seen otherwise, it is heard but not listened, and known but not admitted. School debate is almost always visible and loud and harmful for the municipal image.

Municipality is a mirror of its decisions. So what should be seen as a final result also in this planning case, is a vital, forceful and cooperative municipality. Not just an individual solution or single sum. Alternative school network solutions are needed for the basis of comparing, understanding the wholeness and finding compromises. Only an open and cooperative dialogue between the planner and the community can produce relevant planning data, realistic decisions, and feasible and mutual acceptable plans. Even in the case of one village/near school it is always a matter of the whole school and service network, and of the future regional development choices.

Method

When the study and material was under planning the latest “closure year” was 2007. Target schools were picked from the annual listing of Statistics Finland. Active discussion and depate together with geographical scope was used as an selection criteria. There was an assumption that in these cases media and official material would available. With these grounds 10 schools from 6 municipalities were selected. Economical recession timed together with the research, which increased both the school closure discussion, common interest towards the research and new cases for the research use. The research project began with contacts and visits to the target villages and municipalities. The basic research material included archives and statistics of the municipality, minutes of the local government, minutes of education board, notes from schools, parents and village association, media writings etc. The effects of the abolishment and the public discussion have been estimated through that material and decision, planning and programme work in a municipal and village level. Discussions have been had with the decision makers, teachers and villagers. Aim has been to to hear the reciprocal truth, to clarify the general atmosphere and to supplement other information accessible. There has not been any identifiable interviews.

Expected Outcomes

Only one calculation method for savings is not possible because situation, peoples and interests are different in every case. Anyway, in the present study it has been developed a couple of ways to calculate costs and to estimate assumed savings afterwards. When savings are concerning salaries and real estate expenses, they often come true at annual level. However, the expenses may rise quite fast because of the increase in the special teaching, number of teachers, cost of repair, transport costs etc. Therefore it is important also to estimate the costs of the rearrangement beforehand. And especially: it is necessary to make the evaluation in regard to the plans and realization. The real total savings of the closures should be estimated by comparing the assumed results of “Open planning” (anticipating, participating, alternatives, communality, discussion, mutual understanding, positive image) and “Closed planning” (dictation policy, hurry, no choices, constant threat of closures, dispute, time outs, complaints, negative image). Interactive or participating school network planning is also possible. It starts from the notice that inhabitant information, “everyday expertice”, is a significant resource for the decision making. Then the inhabitants should be early informed about the starting planning process, and finally tell how to participate.

References

Abatena & Teddle (1986). Rural school planning in Louisiana. Socio-Econ. Plann.Sci. Vol 20,No 4. Bäcklund, Pia (2009). Kokemuksellisen tiedon hyödyntämisen haasteet. Teoksessa: Faehnle Maija, Bäcklund Pia ja Laine Markus (toim). Kaupunkiluontoa kaikille. Ekologinen ja kokemuksellinen tieto kaupungin suunnittelussa. Helsingin kaupungin tietokeskus, Tutkimuksia 2009/6. 130 s. Juva, Simo (2008). Inhimillinen pääoma ja koulutuksen tehokkuus – koulutus taloustieteen tutkimuskohteena. Teoksessa: Heikkilä, Jouko, Juva, Simo, Kettunen, Timo, Lahtinen, Matti ja Tiihonen, Raakel. Koulutuksen talouden käsikirja. PS-kustannus, Jyväskylä. 15-49 s. Kallio, Johanna (2010). Hyvinvointipalvelujärjestelmän muutos ja suomalaisten mielipiteet 1996-2006. Sosiaali- ja terveysturvan tutkimuksia 108. Kelan tutkimusosasto. Helsinki 2010. Karvonen, Juha, Eskelinen, Lieselotte ja Aunola Anu (2009). Kunta- ja palvelurakenne uudistuu, miten opetuspalvelut järjestetään? Suomen Kuntaliitto, Helsinki. 100 s. Korpinen, Eira 1996. Tutkiva opettaja ja kyläkoulu. Teoksessa: Korpinen, Eira (toim.). Tutkiva opettaja. Journal of teacher researcher: Kyläkoulu. Nyt! -teemanumero 2/1996: 4–5. Kalaoja, Esko 1988. Maaseudun pienten koulujen kehittämistutkimus. Osa I Koulu kyläyhteisöösä. Oulun yliopiston kasvatustieteiden tiedekunnan tutkimuksia 52. Karlberg-Granlund, Gunilla (2009). Att förstå det stora i det lilla. Byskolan som pedagogik, kultur och struktur. Åbo Akademis förlag – Åbo Akademi University Press, 2009. 353 s. Kearns, Lewis & McCreanor (2009). The status quo is not an option. Community impact of school closure in South Taranaki, New Zealand. Journal of Rural Studies 25, 131-140 Mustakangas Ella, Kiviniemi Markku & Vihinen Hilkka (2003). Kumppanuus kuntatasolla maaseutupolitiikan toimeenpanossa. Maa- ja elintarviketalous 29. 179 s. Maa- ja elintarviketalouden tutkimuskeskus. Peltonen, Taina 2002. Pienten koulujen esiopetuksen kehittäminen – entisajan alakoulusta esikouluun. Väitöskirja. Kasvatustieteiden tiedekunta, Kajaanin opettajankoulutusyksikkö, Oulun yliopisto. Pirhonen, Seppo (1993). Koulu kyläyhteisössä. Valtion painatuskeskus, Helsinki. 61 s. Tantarimäki, Sami (2010). Kouluverkkosuunnittelun haasteet, Maaseudun Uusi Aika 2/2010 Tantarimäki, Sami (2010). Kohti vuorovaikutteista kouluverkkosuunnittelua & Koulu osana kylää ja kuntaa. Korpinen, Eira ( edit. 2010) . Kyläkoulu elää! PS-Kustannus Oy, 284 s. Jyväskylä.

Author Information

Sami Tantarimäki (presenting / submitting)

University of Turku

Brahea Centre for Training and Development

Turun yliopisto

Search the ECER Programme

Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
Search for authors and in the respective field.
For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.