Embracing Complexity of Place for Place-Informed Education: International Insights from Periphery, Coastal and Rural Contexts

This paper aims to navigate the complexity inherent in the concept of place by defining and highlighting the role of place-informed education across different international contexts: the periphery in Northern Israel, coastal areas of England, and rural Montana in the United States. Using a thematic analytic framework, we conducted a cross-context comparison of three case studies in order to identify each locale’s unique definitions and meanings of place, producing a portrait of the similarities and differences among the three international contexts. Following the ‘Simplicity–Accuracy Paradox’ and recognizing the ‘cost of oversimplification’, we explored complexity as a basis for action, which enables the creation of a process in which the strengths and limitations of the place both have an important role to play in any intervention or action to mitigate and/or enhance the consequences of distance from urban centers. The proposed strategies presented in the paper are based on embracing the complexity of place for place-informed education, and include context-responsive policy design, targeted workforce strategies, international learning exchanges, and policy and classification reform. These processes may serve as a guide for action among educators, policymakers and researchers, supporting a mindset of place-informed education where complexity is embraced and where challenges of place may also offer solutions.