BK21 교육의 사회적 책임 연구단

링크

https://www.kedi.re.kr/khome/main/research/selectPubForm.do

작성자

설다연

저자

양희준 외

발행사항

발행일

2025. 12.

저널명

한국교육개발원

국문초록

인구감소지역의 문제는 다양한 측면에서 포착되지만 교육의 관점에서 보자면 ‘학생 수 감소’가 문제의 출발점이라고 할 수 있다. 학생 수가 감소함에 따라 학교의 소규모화가 진행되고, 그에 따라 교육과정 운영과 교직원 사기의 저하 등 교육 활동 전반의 활력이 저하된다. 이는 다시 학생의 유출과 학부모의 이주 등 학생 수 감소로 이어져 인구감소지역 교육 쇠퇴라는 악순환을 형성하고 있다. 이러한 문제는 리텔과 웨버(Rittel and Webber, 1973. 이명석, 2017: 114에서 재인용)가 말한 ‘사악한 문제(wicked problem)’에 해당한다. 리텔과 웨버는 ‘사악한 문제’의 특징을 여러 가지 말했는데 그 중에 “완전한 해결이 불가능하고, 단지 만족할만한 수준의 해결만이 가능”하다거나 “전례가 없고 독특하고 유일”, “문제가 복잡하게 얽혀 있어 하나의 문제가 다른 문제의 징후일 수 있다”는 특징은 인구감소지역의 교육 문제가 갖는 특징이라고도 할 수 있다. ‘사악한 문제’에 대해 거버넌스에 관한 다른 연구자들인 웨버와 카다미안(Webber & Khademian, 2008. 이명석, 2017: 115에서 재인용)이 말한 바, ‘비구조적(unstructured)’이고 ‘다분야 중첩적(cross-cutting)’이며 ‘혹독하다(relentless)’는 특징도 인구감소지역의 교육 문제에 부합한다.
‘거버넌스’는 이러한 성격의 문제에 대해 효과적인 접근법이 될 수 있다. 거버넌스가 제대로 구성되어 작동된다면 해당 사회 문제에 관계되는 다양한 주체들이 참여하여 해결 책을 모색하고, 문제의 복잡성으로 인한 불확실성, 갈등 등을 상당한 정도로 줄여나가면서 문제의 해결을 향해 접근할 수 있기 때문이다. 인구감소지역의 교육 현실이 지금처럼 어렵게 된 데에는 저출산과 이촌향도 현상이 심화되어 온 지난 40여년 간 지방 교육의 쇠퇴를 예측하지 못한 채 위기의 심화를 제때 막지 못한 정책 당국의 전략 부재 탓도 있을 것이다. 인구감소지역의 교육 현실 문제가 ‘교육 거버넌스의 재구조화’만으로 해결되기는 어려울 수 있다. ‘교육 거버넌스의 재구조화’는 권한과 책임을 동반한 조직의 구축과 함께 그를 뒷받침할 법적, 제도적 개선은 물론 거버넌스 참여자들과 해당 지역 교육 제 주체들의 연대와 협력이 상당한 정도로 고양된 문화적 토양까지 갖추어져야 비로소 완성될 수 있기 때문이다. 그러나 기초지자체 수준의 노력에 더하여 더 넓은 수준 즉, 광역지자체와 국가 수준의 노력이 연계된다면 거버넌스 재구조화의 효과는 더 분명하게 나타날 수 있을 것이다.
89개 인구감소 기초지자체 중 단 2개 지역에 대한 사례 조사를 기반으로 인구감소지역교육 거버넌스의 재구조화 방안을 탐색한 이 연구는 충분치 못한 자료 수집으로 인해 연구 결과의 일반화에 무리가 있을 수 있다. 향후 인구감소지역의 교육 실태에 관한 엄밀한 유형화 연구를 실시하고 그에 기반한 확대된 사례 연구를 수행할 필요가 있을 것이다. 아울러, 이 연구는 필요한 재정의 확보 방안, 단계별 실행 전략, 필요한 법령 개정 방안 등 정책 추진을 위한 세부 설계도까지 제시하지 못한 한계가 있다. 이러한 한계는 후속연구를 통해 극복될 수 있을 것이다.
인구감소지역 교육 위기의 시급성은 새로운 거버넌스를 시도하는 일의 지연을 허락하지 않는다. 교육발전특구나 인구감소대응기금 등 인구감소지역에 대한 재정적 지원을 넘어 권한의 재분배, 행정체계의 재구성을 포함하는 교육 거버넌스의 재구조화는 보다 일부 지역에서라도 신속히 추진될 필요가 있다. 이 점에서 본 연구는 (가칭)지역교육협력특구의 지정과 ‘특구’에서의 새로운 교육 거버넌스 재구조화 방안을 제안하였다. ‘특구’를 통해 새로운 모델을 창출하고 그 성공을 신속히 확산하는 방식으로 전체 인구감소지역의 교육 위기 극복을 꾀할 수 있을 것이다. 본 연구는 여러 한계에도 불구하고 인구감소
지역 교육 문제와 거버넌스 개선의 효과에 대한 관심을 환기한다는 점에서 작은 의미를 가진다.

영문초록

일반텍스트

<차 례>

Ⅰ. 서론 ································································································· 1
1. 연구의 필요성 및 목적······················································································ 3
2. 선행연구 검토·································································································· 4
3. 연구 내용 및 방법 ··························································································· 9

Ⅱ. 거버넌스의 개념, 유형, 유효성······················································· 1 3
1. 거버넌스의 개념 ···························································································· 15
2. 거버넌스의 유형 ···························································································· 17
3. 거버넌스 개념의 유효성·················································································· 23
4. 인구감소지역의 교육을 위한 거버넌스 유형····················································· 25

Ⅲ. 인구감소지역 교육 거버넌스 실태: A군 사례 분석·························29
1. A군 지역의 인구 개황····················································································· 31
2. A군의 초중등교육 개황················································································ 32
3. A군의 교육관련 행정기관 ·············································································· 34
4. A군의 주요 교육 정책····················································································· 35
5. A군 교육 거버넌스 실태 ················································································ 44
6. 소결 ············································································································· 54

Ⅳ. 인구감소지역 교육 거버넌스 실태: B군 사례 분석·························57
1. B군 지역의 인구 개황 ··················································································· 59
2. B군의 초중등교육 개황 ··············································································· 60
3. B군의 교육관련 행정기관 ·············································································· 63
4. B군의 주요 교육 정책 ··················································································· 63
5. B군 교육 거버넌스 실태 ················································································ 64
6. 소결 ·············································································································· 75

Ⅴ. 인구감소지역 교육 거버넌스 재구조화 방안····································77
1. 문제의 분석 ·································································································· 79
2. 대안의 모색··································································································· 83

Ⅵ. 결론 ······························································································· 9 3

참고문헌··························································································· 9 7

첨부파일

• 인구감소지역 교육 거버넌스 재구조화 방안 연구.pdf