New Pathways of Rural Education in China: Dynamic Changes of Small Schools

This book summarizes and explores the development model and path of rural education in China, while also describing how small-scale schools can replicate this low-cost local experience. As the ＂nerve endings＂ of Chinese education system, rural small-scale schools have unique important values in guaranteeing equity in education and serving the compulsory education in rural areas. This book presents ten vivid stories of the transforming path of rural small-scale schools in China. It shows how the rural small-scale schools acted according to circumstances to enhance education quality, how they broke through the difficult situation and improved, and how they achieved the status of ’small and beautiful’ and ’small and good’. It explores a new path for rural education reform and aims to provide some inspirations on rural and urban education development.

Jialing Han is the chair professor of Institute for Economic and Social Research at Jinan University, researcher of Institute of Sociology at Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, and Ph.D. of Peking University.
She has focused on the study and practice of the social development and supportive network for the rural vulnerable groups since 1991. Having devoted herself to the practice projects of the education and social development of the disadvantaged groups, involved in the practice and research on Poverty Alleviation, she has been exploring possible solutions to the sustainable development and capacity building of rural areas of China. Owing to her outstanding achievements in the practice and study of Poverty Alleviation, she won the scientific research award of China Poverty Eradication Award in 2004.
Her main research areas include rural education, rural development, women development, and social development. As the chief editor, her recent published works include: ’The theory and practice of social development’ (China Social Science Press, 2018), ’New Pathways of Rural Education in China：Dynamic Changes of Small Schools’ (Chinese version, Educational Science Publishing House, 2019), and ’Annual Report on China’s education for migrant children (2019-2020)’ (Social Sciences Academic Press, China, 2020).