[en] During the first third of the 20th century, ten La Salle schools opened in Asturias. Most of them appeared in the Asturian coalfields, a region with a strong presence of active tradeunionism which, at the time, was trying to become strong regardless of the means. The Institute's most important goal was to provide the working classes with free education. This goal was achieved in all the coaldfields schools thanks to the agreements they signed with the companies that had sponsored them. However, the special relationship the Brothers had with the managers that were sponsoring the schools, together with the traditional way in which they approached the working classes, helped to categorise them in the same group as the employers; this, at times of political tension, like the 1934 revolution, had a negative impact on the schools. On the other hand, the Brothers took part in the Catholic Movement by stimulating, from the schools, the movements that later on, and following the instructions from the hierarchy, turned into the Catholic Youths. The number of pupils that attended the Brothers schools was important, nearly half the student population in the region. In fact, thanks to the schools opened by the coal companies, it was possible to balance the antiquated structure of the state education system. The prestige that the Brothers obtained in the their educational work in their community was basically due to two factors. First, to the efficiency of their to aching me thod: schools grading and the simultaneous system me ant an improvement of decades in comparison to the general state of education in Spain despite the fact that theirs were not pedagogical breakthroughs. Secondly, the Brothers fulltime dedication to teaching reinforced their professional vocations, which took the from of extra time devoted to pedagogical work and to the pupils.

[es] A lo largo del primer tercio del siglo x x se fundaron en Asturias diez colegios de La Salle. La mayor?a en las cuencas mineras asturianas, una zona que contaba con la fuerte presencia de un sindicalismo militante que en aquellos momentos buscaba afianzarse recurriendo para ello a los medios que fuesen necesarios. Objetivo fundamental del Instituto era dar una ense?anza gratuita a las clases populares. Se alcanz? en todos los colegios de las cuencas mineras gracias a los convenios que se firmaron con las empresas promotoras de los mismos. Sin embargo, la especial relaci?n que los Hermanos tuvieron con los directivos que financiaban los colegios, junto a la mentalidad tradicionalista con que se acercaron al mundo obrero contribuy? a que se les encuadrase dentro de la clase patronal, lo que, en momentos de tensi?n -como la revoluci?n del 34- repercuti? negativamente sobre los colegios. Por otra parte, la participaci?n de los Hermanos en el Movimiento Cat?lico se concret? en el impulso que se dio desde los colegios a los movimientos que m?s tarde -de acuerdo con las directrices de la Jerarqu?a- se convirtieron en Juventudes Cat?licas. El volumen de alumnos que atendieron los Hermanos fue importante, muy cercano -si es que no llegaba- a la mitad de la poblaci?n escolar de esa zona. De hecho, gracias a los colegios instalados pro las empresas mineras se consigui? equilibrar la desfasada estructura de la instrucci?n p?blica. El prestigio que los Hermanos alcanzaron en su tarea educativa entre sus convecinos se debi? b?sicamente a dos factores. En primer lugar, la eficacia de sus sistemas de ense?anza: la graduaci?n de las escuelas y el sistema simult?neo supon?a un adelanto de varias d?cadas respecto a la situaci?n general de la ense?anza en Espa?a aunque, ciertamente, no fuesen los ?ltimos avances pedag?gicos. En segundo lugar, la dedicaci?n exclusiva de los Hermanos a su tarea de maestros propiciaba un refuerzo de su vocaci?n profesional que se manifestaba en dedicaci?n extra a las tareas pedag?gicas y a los alumnos.