Advancement of education in rural society: regional villages’ choice of future

On the basis of the analysis of sociocultural and educational situations inherent to the rural areas of the Russian Federation the vectors of consecutive development of education in rural society are determined. The identified directions were determined by the experience gained through realization of new educational models implemented in some rural regions. The basic features of economic, cultural, and social factors are presented. In the rural society the system of education functions in much more challenging circumstances than in the urban environment. The multiple factors that influence the system of education in rural districts determine its structural alteration and lead to consecutive results. The general trend of educational system advancement in rural areas is determined. It is based on the policy of institutional integration aimed at strengthening the social dimension of education (recognition of its leading factor). We identified a set of problems that most of the regions in the Russian Federation resolve through the union of internal educational resources and integration of education and other social sectors. Four variants of educational system development favorable for municipal areas are presented: 1) creation of educational complexes in rural settlements; 2) enlargement of schools due to confluence of small schools into one; 3) the mixed variant; 4) deminimization of small schools’ number through the change of financial venues. Two examples of the model’s practical realization helping to modernize education in rural society are described.