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The Social Ecology of Rural Schools: Family-Community-School Relationships in Cross-National Perspective
76-103Views:20Rural small schools are situated at the intersection of educational and social inequalities, where students’ learning outcomes and overall development are closely tied to the quality of relationships among families, schools, and local communities. Although extensive research has examined parental involvement and social capital, relatively few comparative studies have explored the social ecology of rural small schools-particularly the interrelations between family milieu, community embeddedness, and institutional autonomy. This study addresses this gap through a systematic review of empirical and theoretical research published between 2010 and 2024. The analysis draws on Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model, Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, Coleman’s concept of social capital, and Epstein’s typology of parental involvement. Findings indicate that the family-community-school nexus exerts a multi-level and interactive influence on children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development-directly through family practices, indirectly via the quality of parent-school relationships, and structurally through local social capital and institutional resources. A cross-national comparison reveals that while rural schools are universally positioned within structures of educational disadvantage, variations in cultural norms, community organization, and policy frameworks crucially determine whether family and community resources mitigate or reinforce these inequalities. The study concludes that the success of rural small schools depends not on the quantity of resources but on the quality of relationships. Trust, reciprocity, and partnership within the family-school-community triangle are essential foundations of rural resilience. Policy interventions are most effective when they strengthen the community-based and family-centered functions of small schools, embedding parental involvement as an integral element of the learning process.
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Positioning Opportunities for Rural Areas Through the Example of Ciuc-Basin
50-74Views:142Those development approaches that support social inclusion, exploitation of endogenous
resources and community development may be an alternative, and can offer new opportunities
for the economically and socially disadvantaged rural areas and for peripheral settlements
that have missed the mainstream of development. The new rural paradigm, and the related
regional development approaches, such as marketing-oriented settlement development, point to
a new community-based trend, where places, local communities get a more important role, the
function of local management changes and endogenous factors become the main resource. The
communication activity and positioning practice becomes more important. -
Enforcement of Community Approaches in Child Protection Practice: International Trends
70-86Views:249Child protection has changed in important ways on international level in recent years. Child protection as social institution adapts to and follows social change. Global competitions, mobility
of capital and workforce, acceleration of economic processes and interdependence of national
economies, and the economic crises of 2007 has their impact on the operation and workings of
welfare systems. This study examines the trends and tendencies in international child protection practice since the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, what type of child protection
orientations can be distinguished, what kind of characteristics can be described and which way
seems to emerge—as a common challenge—in general in the field of the state’s child protection
activities. The study draws attention to the importance of some topics in international discourse, such as complex needs of the clients, importance of partnerships, support of parenthood and a
range of professional skills and competences to achieve these goals. -
„Promise is a nice word, but is it good if we keep it” – A review of the literature on programs designed to develop social skills of disadvantaged children
135-160Views:11Childhood social-emotional development lays the foundation for an individual’s life path. A significant proportion of disadvantaged children born into low-status families have deficits in their abilities. According to the disadvantage compensation approach, the gap can be reduced, and even desirable behaviors can be successfully taught in any community (class, peer group, parents, adults, etc.) with the help of professional experts. In our study, we undertake to provide an overview of disadvantage compensation programs developed for school-age children and younger children, based on international and domestic literature, with the aim of strengthening social competencies. In addition to presenting good examples, our goal is to create a complex and critical picture of programs aimed at developing social competencies, especially domestic programs, based on a qualitative evaluation criteria system, which may be useful in the future for professional efforts aimed at helping and developing disadvantage compensation. The ideas of international and domestic education researchers about good practices show many similarities. We believe that both in the domestic and international arenas there is enough good practice, methodological guidelines, training that strengthens self-awareness and responsibility, and theoretical foundations that can inspire experts (teachers, helpers, parents, civilians, etc.) in effective and enjoyable development activities. However, success can only be ensured through continuous and controlled pedagogical and social support work, impact monitoring, and program review. With detailed knowledge of the situation in Hungary, it can be said that disadvantage compensation is practically competing with falling behind. In lucky cases, the distance between groups, the extent and speed of falling behind can be reduced. The difficulties are exacerbated by the lack of a sufficient number of qualified human resources for catch-up programs, and the development of tools and buildings is uneven and, above all, not continuous. The limitations of the effectiveness of disadvantage compensation cannot therefore be found in the quality of the programs developed on the appropriate conceptual background, but in fundamentally structural reasons. In our article, we critically analyze the domestic and international efforts of the past two decades and draw attention to successful solutions and opportunities for further development.
