Interaction of Schools with Local Communities in Territories with Complex Contexts: Case Studies of Nerchinsky District in Zabaikalsky Krai, Salekhard, and Novy Urengoy in YaNAD

This study examines the interaction of schools with local communities through case studies of two Russian regions: Nerchinsky District in Zabaikalsky Krai and the cities of Salekhard and Novy Urengoy in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District (YaNAD). The focus is on the characteristics of these interactions and the differences between territorial cases depending on contextual and environmental conditions. The empirical part of the study draws on data collected in these regions during expeditions conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics. The practical component includes an analysis of school practices of external interaction in the specified cases, a comparison of territorial cases, and the identification of characteristics linking school practices with the socio-economic conditions of complex living contexts. The analysis establishes the contextual dependence of school practices in engaging with local communities. The socio-economic development of the territories, the social and cultural capital of the local community, and the resource intensity of the local economy are identified as conditions that both constrain and enable the development of various strategies for school collaboration with external partners. The high level of economic development in Salekhard and Novy Urengoy allows schools to build partnerships with corporations and engage non-regional partners in school activities, while the cultural capital of the community creates opportunities for deeper and more sustainable strategies. In contrast, the low resource intensity of the economy in Nerchinsky District of Zabaikalsky Krai compels schools to form interaction strategies with available resources—most often with parents and local associations—on spontaneous and situational grounds, while the cultural capital of the population limits the implementation of complex forms of social partnership with long-term impact.