ERIC Number: EJ787882
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 55
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-161X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Little District that Could: The Process of Building District-School Trust
Chhuon, Vichet; Gilkey, Elizabeth M.; Gonzalez, Margarita; Daly, Alan J.; Chrispeels, Janet H.
Educational Administration Quarterly, v44 n2 p227-281 2008
Purpose: This article describes how trust emerged as an issue in one school district and the processes by which central office administrators enhanced trust with its school site leaders. Method: This exploratory participant observer case study uses multiple sources of data including surveys, interviews, observations, and documents collected during a 4-year period from central office and school site leaders. Findings: The article illustrates how a university partner can play a critical role in surfacing and bringing forth action on an undiscussable issue--trust between the central office and its schools--and the actions taken by the central office to address specific facets of trust: openness, communication, risk, and integrity. The site administrators' response to these actions revealed that trust can be developed at both the relational and organizational leadership levels. Significance to the Field: The study is significant in illustrating that building trust between the central office and school sites can be an essential step in an underperforming district and can serve as a resource in achieving and sustaining school district reform. It also shows that attending to specific facets of trust can be useful when examining the development of trust between school sites and the district office. (Contains 5 tables.)
Descriptors: Campuses, Trust (Psychology), Participant Observation, Integrity, School Districts, Educational Change, Central Office Administrators, School Restructuring, Governance, School Effectiveness, Case Studies, Partnerships in Education, Educational Administration, College School Cooperation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: Administrators
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A