Beschreibung:
Abstract : Because of decreasing birth rates and out-migration from settlements at high altitudes, the problem of small schools threatened by closures, will become widestread within the next decade or two. How many more schools cans be closed before the social and cultural life of these villages suffers severely ? What are the consequences for an alpine village when its only elementary school is closed ? Providing elementary schools to sparsely populated alpine areas will become a major challenge for school administrations and future regional politics. If we are to master this challenge, we need a different understanding of the role of schools and teachers in sparsely inhabited peripheral areas. Most elementary school teachers in peripheral rural regions have several extracurricular functions and are important components of the cultural and social fabric of the community. We should take into account the long-term social and economic consequences for an alpine village when its only elementary school is closed. In addition, new, more flexible forms of school organization must be developed.