Chapter 8: Development and Research of the Rural School Situation in Spain

Our purpose in this chapter is to render an account of the meaning of rural schools in the education system in Spain, to explore changes during the last 50 years by the national providers of education, and how these changes have happened. Education, geography, and governmentality are important aspects in a larger historical geography of Spanish education. The current situation of rural schools in Spain is referred to first, followed by an analysis of development and changes made over these years. Finally, this chapter focuses on the interest in rural schools from theoretical, practical, and research viewpoints.

Spain has an area of 504,645 km2. It is divided into 17 autonomous communities, 50 provinces and 8,112 municipalities with their own local authorities (town councils). According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there are 15 predominantly rural provinces in Spain. These occupy 40.7% of the surface area and are home to 11.3% of the population.