A Study On Consolidation Of Contemporary American Rural Elementary And Secondary Schools

In the process of the development of the rural education in all over the world, the most prominent problem is the fairness and efficiency. How to ensure to accept the education fairly for rural students and improve the efficiency of the rural school is a problem to be solved immediately. Nowadays, with the development of urbanization process, the declining in student enrollment and changing in financial funding policy, Every country mostly through the "consolidation " to achieve the rearrangement of rural elementary and secondary schools. And it is an important way to solve the problems of rural education. As a modern country, the consolidation of the U.S. Rural Schools has experienced more than one hundred years, now still continuing. It is basically carried out in accordance with the natural evolution of the logical sequence. But the "way" is not flat, all the ways along the line before the public criticism and dissenting voices. When we reflect and research on our rural school consolidation process, we can recall the development process of the consolidation of rural elementary and secondary schools in the U.S., and learn from the successful experience. It is very important implications that China’s scientific and reasonable to promote the consolidation of rural schools and run rural basic education for peasant satisfaction.Throughout the20th century, consolidation of rural elementary and secondary schools in the United States has been actively developed as enriching the curriculum under the economies of scale and expanding educational opportunities. It was mainly based on four reasons:the inevitable result of Urbanization, the natural selection of rural communities facing serious challenges, the objective requirements of the rural school development predicament, the demand of industrialization and economic development. At this stage, the majority states and areas in U.S. through legislation and financial allocation in various forms to promote consolidation of rural schools. In the implementation, every state developed the detailed consolidation standard to regulate consolidation activity, strengthened the control of the rural school consolidation process with the Act, and provided a series of protection measures for consolidation smoothly. At the same time, a small part of the states do not encourage consolidation. The power of decision for rural school or district consolidation is left to the local Board of Education and rural communities. And support for small-scale rural schools through improving the conditions for running schools in rural area.In the United States, once the consolidation of rural elementary and secondary schools have been identified as the feasible scheme, a series of effective strategies need to be taken to ensure the smooth implementation of the consolidation, such as the strategies based on the different interest groups, teachers’ professional development strategies as well as the school bus learning program. In practice, the consolidation of rural elementary and secondary schools achieved certain results, such as improving the scale effect of rural schools, promoting the education quality of primary and secondary school in rural areas, alleviating the workload of teachers teaching and promoting the balanced development of education. But there are some problems, such as efficiency, the declining of some students’ academic performance and traffic problems. Therefore, the alternative program of rural schools consolidation will be emerged. It not only solves the inherent problems in rural areas, but also can avoid the negative impact of the consolidation.Since the starting in the late19th century, American rural school consolidation has been the controversial topic of policy makers, school administrators, rural residents and communities. Supporters advocate the consolidation in rural elementary and secondary schools from the advantage of large-scale school and the practical purpose. Opponents have the negative attitude from an economic point of view, the advantages of small-scale rural schools and the value of community. The reasons of controversy about rural elementary and secondary schools consolidation, it mainly due to the existence of the interest conflict between the different interest groups in the consolidation process, and the consolidated school district and the independent school districts have their own strengths. Behind in the heated debate, a correct understanding should be recognized the suitability of school size and equity priority and efficiency consideration.As it were, the experience of American rural elementary and secondary schools consolidation can be gained from in the pursuit of scale benefit under educational equity; Consolidation is gradually improving, the long process of exploration; Fairness of the decision-making process is an important prerequisite for the consolidation of rural elementary and secondary schools; Comprehensive system guarantee is indispensable conditions for the consolidation of rural elementary and secondary schools. Conditions and background of our rural primary and secondary schools consolidation and American rural primary and secondary schools consolidation has great similarities. For example, they were driven by urbanization, the rural areas are facing the population and the continuing economic recession, the development of rural education is in trouble, and so on. Its purpose is to pursue the balanced development of the scale education. Compared to the American rural primary and secondary consolidation, because of our system and management are not perfect, and the huge differences in various regions, so it is caused by the difficulties encountered in the process of consolidation. Therefore, we should be appropriate to draw on the experience and lessons in American rural primary and secondary schools consolidation. On this basis, we should combine with China’s national conditions and cultural traditions, and we will make the rural primary and secondary schools consolidation in China toward reasonable and healthy.