What can be learned from Spanish rural schools? Conclusions from an international project

This article presents some of the processes and results of the Spanish part of an international research project focused on the analysis of teaching and learning components in rural schools. The work was conducted within the frame of an interpretative model combining quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results from three case studies show the components of multi-grade classrooms that use participative and active didactic strategies to acquire competences. In this research, we focused on methodologies, organization of time and space, materials and methods of evaluation. The conclusions might be transferred to other types of schools and could improve the quality of education in general.