Trust in School

Trust Human beings can fix anything with enough time and enough duct tape Except Trust

Trust If you had to explain trust to someone who had not heard the word, what would you say? Write independently-5 minutes Share with a partner-5 minutes Make a list of the qualities of trust you identified

School Improvement Schools improve when the staff shares the common belief in the nobility of their profession and value the dignity of each other, students and student’s families. Relational trust is essential to the development of these common believes and values

Changes Make a list of 3-5 changes that you have seen in the past three years at your school or in your district.

Differentiating Change from Transition Change is not the same as Transition Change is external, Transition is internal Transition is the psychological process people go through to come to terms with the new situation Unless Transition occurs, Change will not work -Based on the work of William Bridges

Vision Skills Resources Payoff Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan Action Plan Trust Change Sabotage Confusion Anxiety Sporadic Change False Starts Anger

Tradition does not imply trust of any kind, this is so because tradition, as long as it prevails, may substitute for trust…when tradition stops playing a major role TRUST BECOMES CRUCIAL Piotr Sztompka,1999

Relational Trust Interdependent Work Environment Cooperation/CollaborationTRUST Competence, Integrity, Respect, Regard

The Importance of Trust Strongest Level Of Trust: 1 in 2 chances of making significant improvements in student learning Weakest Level of Trust: 1 in 7 chances of making significant improvements in student learning - Bryk and Schneider Trust in Schools: A Core Resource for Improvement

Structures/Behaviors that don’t build trust Structures/Behaviors that don’t build trust  Distrust among parents, teachers, and administrators  Suspicion of “outsiders”  Tensions pertaining to race, ethnicity, age cohort--predisposition to factions  Generalized anger--patterns of withdrawal  “Happy Talk”  Poor internal communications  Institutional inability to learn from experience  Ego fragility/emotional fatigue  Teacher isolation

Trust becomes an indispensable strategy to deal with the opaqueness of our social environment. Without trust we would be paralyzed and unable to act

Types of Trust in Schools Contractual Contractual Organic Organic Social Social Relational Relational

Contractual Trust Contractual trust is based on delineated agreements. People trust that others will follow the agreement. Because staff members in a district work on contracts there is some of this expectation in schools. Because contracts can not delineate everything that happens in schools this trust is commonly thwarted when people hold differing views of what it means to follow a contract Contractual trust is based on delineated agreements. People trust that others will follow the agreement. Because staff members in a district work on contracts there is some of this expectation in schools. Because contracts can not delineate everything that happens in schools this trust is commonly thwarted when people hold differing views of what it means to follow a contract

Organic trust This form is described as a sense of affinity between people who hold something in common that is bigger than themselves. What is held in common may be beliefs, experiences, hopes, or other activities that provide meaning in their lives This form is described as a sense of affinity between people who hold something in common that is bigger than themselves. What is held in common may be beliefs, experiences, hopes, or other activities that provide meaning in their lives

Social Trust This form of trust is based on the idea that trust has a value similar to money. It can accumulate or deplete. You can use it all in one place or save it up. You can spread it over many people or hold it all for yourself. While it is a way to think and talk about trust it was not this form of trust that mattered in improving schools This form of trust is based on the idea that trust has a value similar to money. It can accumulate or deplete. You can use it all in one place or save it up. You can spread it over many people or hold it all for yourself. While it is a way to think and talk about trust it was not this form of trust that mattered in improving schools

Relational Trust This form of trust is discovered through interactions. Participants in the interaction either increase trust through the interaction or decease trust through the interaction. If people do not interact there is no opportunity to generate trust. This form of trust is discovered through interactions. Participants in the interaction either increase trust through the interaction or decease trust through the interaction. If people do not interact there is no opportunity to generate trust.

Relational Trust Role expectations Role expectations People know what to expect of one another Understanding of the characteristics of trust Understanding of the characteristics of trust During interactions participants demonstrate competence, integrity, personal regard and respect Demonstration in routine behaviors Demonstration in routine behaviors The demonstration of the characteristics above is routine behavior

Role Expectations Clarify our core values is the first step in clarity of role expectations. Clarify our core values is the first step in clarity of role expectations. Once we are clear about what we believe the goal of our work is we can clarify what we expect from each other in achieving our goal Once we are clear about what we believe the goal of our work is we can clarify what we expect from each other in achieving our goal

Respect Genuine interest in the other person’s point of view Genuine interest in the other person’s point of view

Integrity What you say, do and believe are aligned What you say, do and believe are aligned

Personal Regard Acknowledge your feelings and the feelings of others Acknowledge your feelings and the feelings of others Own your part Own your part Consideration of others Consideration of others

Competence Faith in your own abilities and in the abilities of others Faith in your own abilities and in the abilities of others

Routine Behaviors Creating norms in behavioral terms Creating norms in behavioral terms What does respect “look like”? What does respect “look like”? What does integrity “look like”? What does integrity “look like”? What does personal regard “look like”? What does personal regard “look like”? What does competence “look like”? What does competence “look like”? Answering these questions creates a culture which nurtures trust. Answering these questions creates a culture which nurtures trust.

What are the elements of Relational Trust? Role Expectations clarified Role Expectations clarified Respect Respect Integrity Integrity Personal Regard Personal Regard Competence Competence

Creating a trustful environment will move your school from independent practice to Interdependent Relationships From me to us From some of the student to all of the students From my students to our students From my classroom to our school From my lesson to our lesson From my way to our way