Role of Trust in Educational Leadership
Intoduction
A school goes beyond just being a place where teaching and learning take place. For institutions to function correctly, a trust-centered environment is vital. Trust is crucial in ensuring collective participation to ensure the success of any given institution. In schools, teachers have to work together with other teachers, parents, and other stakeholders in ensuring students benefit from the learning and teaching experience. Bryk & Schneider assert that schools that promoted a culture of trust registered tremendous improvement in students’ performance.
Darling-Hammond (2014) asserts that promoting teacher collaboration results in quality teaching that, in turn, leads to improved performance among the students. Eliophotou-Menon & Loannou (2016) argues that school officials should ensure that a culture of trust exists among its members to ensure collaboration that is directed towards ensuring students’ improved learning experience.
What is Trust
Bligh (2017) states trust is the ability of one person to rely on the other person without the need to worry that the other person would let them down. Johnson & Cullen (2017) contend that trust is vital in the formation and maintaining relationships. The authors go on to claim exchange will probably be non-existent without some degree of trust.
Trust and Leadership.
Meier (1995) asserts that a school culture that promotes trust among the school administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders was very likely to encourage positive education outcomes for students in such school environments.
Price et al. (2015) argue that for principals to discharge their mandate effectively, ensuring a culture of trust in their schools is essential. The principals should begin at first by ensuring teachers trust them, trust among the teachers, and that the students also trust their teachers. A school that ensures a trusting culture provides everyone with a conducive environment that makes teaching and learning process to proceed smoothly. Students will not only benefit from teaching and learning experience, but their education outcomes will be significantly improved as a result.
Van Maele & Van Houtte (2015) suggest trust shields the teachers against exhaustion they experience, especially after working for long hours with a minimum resting period. Principals play a crucial role in ensuring they manage the teacher’s fatigue by promoting a culture of trust among the teachers and the top leaders in the school. When teachers feel they are trusted, they can go the extra mile because they are motivated to work harder in ensuring success comes to their school. However, in a school environment where teachers are under pressure and are not fully trusted with their competencies, teachers will be demotivated. They will not put their best effort in delivering their services to students. The people who will suffer the most are the students who will not fully enjoy the benefits of teaching and learning
Tschannen-Moran & Gareis (2015) contend trust is a vital element for schools that intend to register excellent performance. The authors go on to state that trust ensures that there is cooperation in the school set up, where school administrators, teachers, and students collaborate with the aim of improving their performance. Schools that lack elements of trust struggle in the relationships that would have otherwise encouraged excellent performance. When trust is developed, the students and teachers can take risks in ensuring they perform well, since they believe they have trustworthy people who have their interest at heart
Tschannen-Moran & Hoy (1998) argue that trust is crucial in ensuring a healthy school environment. Following analysis, it was found that trust-centered schools had an enabling environment that favors effective teaching and learning process. Coleman (2012) asserts that a leader should not just exhibit trust when he feels that it favors him, but must be at all times consistent in displaying trusting behaviors.
Handford & Leithwood (2013) contend that student’s performance depends mainly on the level of trust among the teachers. Schools that have managed to ensure high levels of trust in teachers registered better performance as compared to schools where trust is relatively low among the teachers. The authors go on to state that the school officials play a crucial role in ensuring the culture of a school is centered on trust. The school leaders should, therefore, encourage a culture of trust in their schools if they purpose to see an improved performance among the students.
Tschannen-Moran (2009) argues that the level of trust in a school has the effect of influencing the extent of teacher professionalism. Teachers who are cultured in a school of high trust existence tend to be very professional with their interactions with the principal, other teachers, parents, and the students. This has the cumulative effect of ensuring harmony and a peaceful environment in the school. When most teachers in a school are professional, they may induce other teachers who act unprofessionally in doing the same. Principals are, therefore, urged to encourage practices that enhance a culture of trust among teachers, school administrators, parents, and students in their school environment to promote professionalism among the teachers.
Adams, Forsyth & Mitchell (2009) argue that principals can foster trust among the parents when they incorporate practices that meet the needs of the parents. Parents are trusted by their students, and when parents trust the teachers, definitely the students will also trust the teachers. This eventually has the positive effect of promoting a trusting culture in the school that will ensure school leaders, teachers, and parents work together to ensure student’s improved performance.
References
Adams, C.M., Forsyth, P.B., and Mitchell, R.M., 2009. The formation of parent-school trust: A multilevel analysis. Educational Administration Quarterly, 45(1), pp.4-33.
Bligh, M.C., 2017. Leadership and trust. In leadership today (pp. 21-42). Springer, Cham.
Bryk, A.S., and Schneider, B., 2003. Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform: educational leadership, 60(6), pp.40-45.
Coleman, A., 2012. The significance of trust in school-based collaborative leadership. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 15(1), pp.79-106.
Darling-Hammond, L., Wilhoit, G., and Pittenger, L., 2014. Accountability for college and career readiness: Developing a new paradigm. Education policy analysis archives, 22, p.86.
Eliophotou-Menon, M., and Ioannou, A., 2016. THE LINK BETWEEN TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND TEACHERS’JOB SATISFACTION, COMMITMENT, MOTIVATION TO LEARN, AND TRUST IN THE LEADER. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 20(3), p.12.
Forsyth, P.B., Barnes, L.L., and Adams, C.M., 2006. Trust‐effectiveness patterns in schools. Journal of Educational Administration
Handford, V., and Leithwood, K., 2013. Why teachers trust school leaders. Journal of Educational Administration.
Johnson, J.L., and Cullen, J.B., 2017. Trust in cross‐cultural relationships—the Blackwell Handbook of Cross‐Cultural Management, pp.335-360.
Price, H.E., Moolenaar, N.M., Tschannen-Moran, M., and Gareis, C.R., 2015. Faculty trust in the principal: An essential ingredient in high-performing schools. Journal of Educational Administration.
Tschannen-Moran, M., and Gareis, C.R., 2015. Principals, trust, and cultivating vibrant schools. Societies, 5(2), pp.256-276.
Van Maele, D., and Van Houtte, M., 2015. Trust in school: a pathway to inhibit teacher burnout?. Journal of Educational Administration, 53(1), pp.93-115.