Building Trust for Better Schools

Research-Based Practices
Julie Reed Kochanek - American Institutes for Research
Building Trust for Better Schools
April 2005 | 144 pages | Corwin
Create Flyer

Purchase

eBook
ISBN: 9781483361543
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781412915144
Available from January 0001

Description

"While trust has been shown as a key mechanism for facilitating school improvement, how that can be accomplished is not altogether clear. In this excellent book, Kochanek, through in-depth case studies and sophisticated quantitative analyses of data from a large urban school system, convincingly demonstrates how principal leadership can promote and sustain trust among administrators, teachers, and parents."
-Barbara Schneider, Professor of Sociology
University of Chicago

"Kochanek's book not only clearly explains the theoretical underpinnings of trust development in schools, but also provides rich case studies that explore this theory in action."
-Carmen Manning, Assistant Professor of English Education
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Why is trust in schools so important? What does trust mean to a school's productivity?

Relationships between principals, teachers, and parents cannot be ignored when attempting school reform. No matter how innovative the changes or ideas, reform is unlikely to succeed unless the adults work together to implement it. Building Trust for Better Schools answers the question of how to build trust within the school community.

Parents are dependent on teachers to educate their children. Teachers are dependent on principals to create school conditions that are conducive to helping children learn. This excellent new resource identifies links between the growth of trust and positive organizational outcomes that benefit school improvement efforts.

But how do we build trust? Kochanek offers an innovative process model of trust building. Increased trust in schools:

  • Fosters participation among faculty in school reform efforts
  • Creates a greater openness to innovation among teachers
  • Increases outreach to parents
  • Produces even higher academic productivity in schools
There is a need for efficient sharing of information in schools across role relationships. This can be done with the building of trust between principals, teachers, and parents as they work together toward a common goal!

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Author

  • 1. Introduction: Making a Case for Trust
  • Why Is Trust in Schools So Important?
  • Efficient Schools as Network Organizations
  • How Is Trust Defined in Schools?
  • What Do We Know About Building Trust?
  • Summary
  • 2. Trust Building as a Developmental Process
  • Setting the Stage for Positive Interactions
  • Fostering Low-Risk Exchanges
  • Creating Opportunities for High-Risk Interactions
  • Illustrating a Model With Case Studies
  • 3. MacNeil Elementary School: Improving a High-Trust School
  • The Principal in the Office
  • New Leadership: The People's Principal
  • Refining Relationships for Higher Levels of Trust
  • Summary
  • 4. Mills Elementary School: Starting From a Lack of Trust
  • A School in Conflict
  • A Principal Under Siege
  • Developing Relationships From the Lowest Levels of Trust
  • Summary
  • 5. Cole Magnet Elementary School: Coming Back to Trust
  • A Temporary Intrusion
  • Returning to Normal: The Maintenance Principal
  • Shared Governance, Facilitated Relationships, and a Lack of Direction
  • Summary
  • 6. An Examination of Trust Building Through Quantitative Analyses
  • How Does a Low Base State of Trust Affect the Effectiveness of Trust-Building Strategies?
  • In Schools With Growing Parent-Teacher Trust, How Does Parent Involvement Vary With the Economic Level of the Parents?
  • How Important Is a Buffer Between Teachers and Parents in Schools Where Parental Involvement Is Strong?
  • Does the Growth of Teacher-Principal Trust Lead to a Growth in Teacher-Teacher Trust?
  • Summary
  • 7. Implementing Trust-Building Strategies in Your School
  • Which Strategies Are Effective in Building Trust?
  • Conclusion

Resource A: CCSR Relational Trust Measures

Resource A: CCSR Relational Trust Measures

Resource B: Measures of Key Concepts of Trust Building

Resource B: Measures of Key Concepts of Trust Building

References

References

Index

Index

Description

"While trust has been shown as a key mechanism for facilitating school improvement, how that can be accomplished is not altogether clear. In this excellent book, Kochanek, through in-depth case studies and sophisticated quantitative analyses of data from a large urban school system, convincingly demonstrates how principal leadership can promote and sustain trust among administrators, teachers, and parents."
-Barbara Schneider, Professor of Sociology
University of Chicago

"Kochanek's book not only clearly explains the theoretical underpinnings of trust development in schools, but also provides rich case studies that explore this theory in action."
-Carmen Manning, Assistant Professor of English Education
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Why is trust in schools so important? What does trust mean to a school's productivity?

Relationships between principals, teachers, and parents cannot be ignored when attempting school reform. No matter how innovative the changes or ideas, reform is unlikely to succeed unless the adults work together to implement it. Building Trust for Better Schools answers the question of how to build trust within the school community.

Parents are dependent on teachers to educate their children. Teachers are dependent on principals to create school conditions that are conducive to helping children learn. This excellent new resource identifies links between the growth of trust and positive organizational outcomes that benefit school improvement efforts.

But how do we build trust? Kochanek offers an innovative process model of trust building. Increased trust in schools:

  • Fosters participation among faculty in school reform efforts
  • Creates a greater openness to innovation among teachers
  • Increases outreach to parents
  • Produces even higher academic productivity in schools
There is a need for efficient sharing of information in schools across role relationships. This can be done with the building of trust between principals, teachers, and parents as they work together toward a common goal!

Contents

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Author

  • 1. Introduction: Making a Case for Trust
  • Why Is Trust in Schools So Important?
  • Efficient Schools as Network Organizations
  • How Is Trust Defined in Schools?
  • What Do We Know About Building Trust?
  • Summary
  • 2. Trust Building as a Developmental Process
  • Setting the Stage for Positive Interactions
  • Fostering Low-Risk Exchanges
  • Creating Opportunities for High-Risk Interactions
  • Illustrating a Model With Case Studies
  • 3. MacNeil Elementary School: Improving a High-Trust School
  • The Principal in the Office
  • New Leadership: The People's Principal
  • Refining Relationships for Higher Levels of Trust
  • Summary
  • 4. Mills Elementary School: Starting From a Lack of Trust
  • A School in Conflict
  • A Principal Under Siege
  • Developing Relationships From the Lowest Levels of Trust
  • Summary
  • 5. Cole Magnet Elementary School: Coming Back to Trust
  • A Temporary Intrusion
  • Returning to Normal: The Maintenance Principal
  • Shared Governance, Facilitated Relationships, and a Lack of Direction
  • Summary
  • 6. An Examination of Trust Building Through Quantitative Analyses
  • How Does a Low Base State of Trust Affect the Effectiveness of Trust-Building Strategies?
  • In Schools With Growing Parent-Teacher Trust, How Does Parent Involvement Vary With the Economic Level of the Parents?
  • How Important Is a Buffer Between Teachers and Parents in Schools Where Parental Involvement Is Strong?
  • Does the Growth of Teacher-Principal Trust Lead to a Growth in Teacher-Teacher Trust?
  • Summary
  • 7. Implementing Trust-Building Strategies in Your School
  • Which Strategies Are Effective in Building Trust?
  • Conclusion

Resource A: CCSR Relational Trust Measures

Resource A: CCSR Relational Trust Measures

Resource B: Measures of Key Concepts of Trust Building

Resource B: Measures of Key Concepts of Trust Building

References

References

Index

Index

SAGE Publishing Logo

Building Trust for Better Schools

Research-Based Practices


April 2005 | 144 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781412915144 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781483361543 $35.00

"While trust has been shown as a key mechanism for facilitating school improvement, how that can be accomplished is not altogether clear. In this excellent book, Kochanek, through in-depth case studies and sophisticated quantitative analyses of data from a large urban school system, convincingly demonstrates how principal leadership can promote and sustain trust among administrators, teachers, and parents."
-Barbara Schneider, Professor of Sociology
University of Chicago

"Kochanek's book not only clearly explains the theoretical underpinnings of trust development in schools, but also provides rich case studies that explore this theory in action."
-Carmen Manning, Assistant Professor of English Education
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Why is trust in schools so important? What does trust mean to a school's productivity?

Relationships between principals, teachers, and parents cannot be ignored when attempting school reform. No matter how innovative the changes or ideas, reform is unlikely to succeed unless the adults work together to implement it. Building Trust for Better Schools answers the question of how to build trust within the school community.

Parents are dependent on teachers to educate their children. Teachers are dependent on principals to create school conditions that are conducive to helping children learn. This excellent new resource identifies links between the growth of trust and positive organizational outcomes that benefit school improvement efforts.

But how do we build trust? Kochanek offers an innovative process model of trust building. Increased trust in schools:

  • Fosters participation among faculty in school reform efforts
  • Creates a greater openness to innovation among teachers
  • Increases outreach to parents
  • Produces even higher academic productivity in schools
There is a need for efficient sharing of information in schools across role relationships. This can be done with the building of trust between principals, teachers, and parents as they work together toward a common goal!

Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Author
  • 1. Introduction: Making a Case for Trust
  • Why Is Trust in Schools So Important?
  • Efficient Schools as Network Organizations
  • How Is Trust Defined in Schools?
  • What Do We Know About Building Trust?
  • Summary
  • 2. Trust Building as a Developmental Process
  • Setting the Stage for Positive Interactions
  • Fostering Low-Risk Exchanges
  • Creating Opportunities for High-Risk Interactions
  • Illustrating a Model With Case Studies
  • 3. MacNeil Elementary School: Improving a High-Trust School
  • The Principal in the Office
  • New Leadership: The People's Principal
  • Refining Relationships for Higher Levels of Trust
  • Summary
  • 4. Mills Elementary School: Starting From a Lack of Trust
  • A School in Conflict
  • A Principal Under Siege
  • Developing Relationships From the Lowest Levels of Trust
  • Summary
  • 5. Cole Magnet Elementary School: Coming Back to Trust
  • A Temporary Intrusion
  • Returning to Normal: The Maintenance Principal
  • Shared Governance, Facilitated Relationships, and a Lack of Direction
  • Summary
  • 6. An Examination of Trust Building Through Quantitative Analyses
  • How Does a Low Base State of Trust Affect the Effectiveness of Trust-Building Strategies?
  • In Schools With Growing Parent-Teacher Trust, How Does Parent Involvement Vary With the Economic Level of the Parents?
  • How Important Is a Buffer Between Teachers and Parents in Schools Where Parental Involvement Is Strong?
  • Does the Growth of Teacher-Principal Trust Lead to a Growth in Teacher-Teacher Trust?
  • Summary
  • 7. Implementing Trust-Building Strategies in Your School
  • Which Strategies Are Effective in Building Trust?
  • Conclusion
  • Resource A: CCSR Relational Trust Measures
  • Resource B: Measures of Key Concepts of Trust Building
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

"While trust has been shown as a key mechanism for facilitating school improvement, how that can be accomplished is not altogether clear. In this excellent book, Kochanek, through in-depth case studies and sophisticated quantitative analyses of data from a large urban school system, convincingly demonstrates how principal leadership can promote and sustain trust among administrators, teachers, and parents."-Barbara Schneider, Professor of SociologyUniversity of Chicago
Barbara Schneider, Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago
"Kochanek's book not only clearly explains the theoretical underpinnings of trust development in schools, but also provides rich case studies which explore this theory in action."-Carmen Manning, Assistant Professor, English EducationUniversity of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Carmen Manning, Assistant Professor, English Education, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Recommendations