Why teachers trust school leaders

Abstract

Research indicates trust in schools significantly relates to student achievement and trust in school leaders significantly relates to trust in schools. This study expands on the existing research by identifying behaviours principals display and teachers identify that correspond to antecedent conditions of trust, as identified in the research literature. Principal understandings are compared to teacher articulated thoughts in order to identify if shared understandings and interpretations of events are a component of trust in schools. Seventeen survey questions about trust were asked in 138 schools. Three high trust and three low trust schools were identified via deviation from the grand mean. Interview data related to a broad spectrum of school structures and daily events was gathered at the six identified schools from a randomly selected group of teachers and each school's principal. The interview data was coded using antecedent conditions of trust as the organizational units for analysis. Supporting previous research, this thesis finds teacher data identified the antecedent conditions that are described most frequently by teachers as being Competence, Consistency and Reliability, Openness and Respect. Principal data identified the antecedent conditions of trust as being similar, not identical. There are relevant differences described in elements within the antecedents between teachers and school leaders. Overall, the results confirm the findings of Bryk and Schneider and Tschannen-Moran, while adding detail to the understanding of what matters in trust when in-school educators reflect on issues of organizational life.iii Acknowledgements

Principals, Trust, and Cultivating Vibrant Schools

“…In a study of three high-trust and three low-trust schools, competence was the most often mentioned element contributing to the trust or distrust of the school leader [12]. Skills related to competence included setting high standards, pressing for results, solving problems, resolving conflicts, working hard, and setting an example.…”

“…By creating decision-making structures and inviting not just teachers' involvement but influence over organizational decisions that affect them, principals can create the conditions necessary to foster mutual trust [12,40,41]. This is particularly the case when the professional expertise of teachers is fundamental to the issue at hand, such as decisions related to instruction or a commitment to student learning and well-being [2,16].…”

“…More specifically, Leithwood and his colleagues identify academic press, disciplinary climate, and protecting instructional time as key examples of classroom and school variables that may mediate student achievement. Notably, faculty trust in the principal relies heavily on the competence of principals relative to their various responsibilities as school leaders [12]. Therefore, trustworthy principals adopt knowledge, skills, work habits, and systems that enable them to achieve the myriad tasks necessary to operate and lead a school [12,39,50].…”

“…Teachers see principals as trustworthy when their communication is both accurate and forthcoming [2,12]. Principals can foster the open flow of information coming to them by being open with communication that flows from them [2].…”

Liderazgo escolar y conflictos socioeducativos. Un estudio exploratorio en liceos públicos chilenos

“…Adicionalmente, es importante destacar que si bien durante las últimas décadas ha aumentado el interés por estudiar el liderazgo escolar y el rol de los directivos (Temperley y Stoll, 2011), reconociéndose el papel que estos juegan en la gestión y resolución de conflictos en las comunidades escolares (Handford & Leithwood, 2013;Tschannen-Moran, 2014) 6 , los estudios y discusiones respecto de este tema han tendido a ocupar un lugar secundario dentro de la producción intelectual en torno al liderazgo educativo (Gunter, 2016). Así, temáticas como el rol del liderazgo en los procesos pedagógicos y su eficacia en las escuelas (Day, Sammons, Hopkins, Leithwood & Kington, 2008;Leithwood, Seashore, Anderson y Wahlstrom, 2004), la forma de ejercicio y distribución de las funciones del liderazgo dentro de las comunidades escolares (Spillane, 2012) o el análisis de la capacidad del liderazgo directivo en el fomento de la mejora escolar (Leithwood, Tomlinson & Genge, 1996) han acaparado gran parte de la atención investigativa, relegando en alguna medida los debates en torno a los vínculos existentes entre el liderazgo educativo y los conflictos en las escuelas.…”