Expectations of Empty Spain in Rural Schools

The rural school occupies a key role in the phenomenon of "empty Spain". This research has focused on finding out the assessment and expectations about the rural world that predominate among teachers and students in the rural area of El Bierzo (Le & oacute;n), as well as analysing whether the rural world is present in school materials and in the daily work of the school in this area. The mixed research methodology triangulated quantitative instruments (questionnaires) with qualitative ones (interviews and discussion groups) in a complementary way, allowing a comprehensive and extensive view. The results of the research indicate that the value of the rural world as a model for sustainable living is largely invisible in schools and that the urban imaginary as a place of success continues to prevail in the collective mentality of the educational community. This implies a devaluation of the rural context and space in which the school develops its educational work. The discussion and conclusions highlight the need to question and rethink this imaginary, to which the school contributes, which does not tend to consciously promote a future of hope that makes it desirable for future generations to inhabit the villages, but which, nevertheless, can have a decisive influence in allowing us to collectively build opportunities and alternatives to recover and repopulate this "empty Spain".