Changes in the Spatial Distribution of Elementary Schools and Their Impact on Rural Communities in Czechia in the Second Half of the 20th Century

Abstract

This article addresses the changes in the spatial distribution of elementary schools in Czechia in the second half of the 20th century and the consequences of these changes on the functioning of rural communities. The spatial distribution of elementary schools, the shape of their catchment areas, and the regional and local communities connected with these schools are influenced by a wide variety of general processes similar to those in the majority of developed countries. We find decreases in the number of elementary schools, along with a concentration of elementary education provisions, in larger population centers. In Czechia the primary phase of this process occurred during the 1970s as a result of the implementation of a unique totalitarian policy of centrally directed settlement development. The effects of school closure on rural communities in peripheral areas fail to show any fundamental difference between Czechia and other developed countries, although the unique features of the former communist system are expressed in the time and forms of school closures and the resulting spatial patterns of school distribution. Contemporary economically developed countries seek to make education accessible to the broadest possible spectrum of individuals for a variety of reasons. For example, education is considered to be a driving force of development (Lundvall & Johnson, 1994), raw material for the operation of the economy, and a vital element of culture, particularly its transfer and reproduction (Butler & Hamnett, 2007). In spite of the professed value placed on education by national governments, struggles still occur regarding inequalities in access. Differences in access to education result in part from the social and economic mechanisms that create societal as well as territorial differences (Hampl, 2005). The wide array of social inequalities in access to education is frequently debated within the social sciences (Halsey, Lauder, Brown, & Wells, 1997; Prokop, 2005; Warrington, 2005), as well as in professional practice (e.g., Florian, 2009). Discrimination of various kinds (e.g., ethnic, racial, gender) is very often the main topic of this debate. However, territorial inequalities in access to education are discussed far less frequently, despite the facts that these differences reach greater extremes, and attempts to resolve them are even more limited (Hampl, 2000). Educational provision is typically concentrated in settlement centers within the higher levels of the settlement hierarchy. In general, there are more types of educational institutions in towns and cities (from primary schools to universities), whereas small rural settlements frequently have only elementary schools. Inhabitants of core urbanized areas thus have better access to education than inhabitants of remote rural peripheries. Although (public) transportation enables people to overcome larger distances and makes services accessible that would otherwise be unattainable for inhabitants of various localities, this access often comes only at the cost of higher financial expenses and time commitments (Bell & Sigsworth, 1987; Kucerova, Mattern, Stych, & Kucera, 2011). Professionalization of education requires increased organization of training in larger schools, involving a higher number of diversely specialized teachers, classrooms, sports facilities, and so forth. Consequently and although this has not been objectively confirmed (Ribchester & Edwards, 1999), small rural schools have, in contrast to the majority of urban schools, acquired the negative image of institutions that are poorly equipped, in terms of materials and technology, and staffed by less qualified workers (Sherman & Sage, 2011). The depopulation of many rural areas and low fertility rates in developed countries make it difficult for many small schools to fill their enrollment capacity. Moreover, in times of economic recession, critics often point to rural schools' lack of economic efficiency coupled with the need to reduce government expenditures (Aberg-Bengtsson, 2009; Kearns, Lewis, McCreanor, & Witten, 2009). …