Academic administrators are not generally trusted. Drawing on Plato's "Republic," this article shows that this mistrust is understandable, considering how values are prioritized in academe, how administrators and political life are connected, and how one normal administrative function (implementing others' policies) can presage an openness to…

Explored relationship between trust of Whites and academic and occupational expectations of African-American high school students (n=132). Students completed Two-Factor Index of Social Position and Cultural Mistrust Inventory. Found no differences between educational expectations and level of mistrust. Students with lower occupational expectations…

Finds that: (1) the perception of instructor behavior most closely linked to the frequency and length of out-of-class communication is verbal immediacy; (2) frequency of informal contact was related also to nonverbal immediacy and trust; and (3) student motivation correlated positively with the frequency of both kinds of contact and to the length…

For three years, researchers at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform have documented public-engagement practices in various districts nationwide. Exemplary district-leadership strategies are profiled. Common elements include inclusive, indepth dialog; dedication to genuine school improvement; creation of dynamic partnerships; and candor,…

Reviews the conceptual foundations of trust as a multidimensional construct, highlighting trust-related issues in schools. An empirical analysis involving 2741 middle-school teachers demonstrates that faculty trust is an important aspect of an open, healthy school climate. Elements of climate and behavior predicting trust in the principal differ…

Discusses how conceptualizing anger control as a necessary survival skill for angry and aggressive youth is more productive than diagnosing these youth with labels like conduct disorders. Anger management programs should promote the ideas that angry persons need to trust others and that they have the ability to control their lives. (RJM)

Describes the Make Peace with Police program developed within the Boston Police Department. Details four common patterns of myths and misperceptions that underlie antagonistic relationships between police and kids and bridges the gap between police and youthful offenders. Details ways to break down distrust and replace conflict with communication.…

Describes the author's first teaching job as a reading teacher at a maximum security detention center for youthful offenders. Describes how the author shed some naivete on the way to learning that what students were primarily learning was trust--in themselves and in others. (SR)

During summer 1991, an experiential educator worked in a Cambodian refugee camp helping newly trained camp police to become a team and develop the necessary personal skills to maintain order in the face of ongoing Khmer Rouge activities. The story of that summer's experiential training ends with a remarkable long-term outcome. (SV)

To examine teachers' role in school-based budgeting, 141 government schools were surveyed in New South Wales, Australia. The study discovered that teachers' actual involvement in both first-order and technical financial decision-making was positively associated with trust in the decision-making process and its leaders. (Contains 55 references.)…

A principal of an alternative secondary school and a district superintendent reflect on their 12-year relationship. Because Anderson kept Gosling informed, the superintendent could handle critics while demonstrating support for an unusual program. Mutual respect, agreement on issue definition, collaborative goals, productive conversation, and…

Delegating decision making to those closest to implementation can result in better decisions, more support for improvement initiatives, and increased student performance. Shared decision making depends on capable school leadership, a professional community, instructional guidance mechanisms, knowledge and skills, information sharing, power, and…

Explored the feelings, attitudes, and perceptions of at- risk adolescent girls from a psychiatric rehabilitation facility following their participation in adventure therapy that involved outdoor experiential activities. Interview data indicated that participants found positive meaning within various activities. The resulting themes were…

Confidence and trust are very important in effective school communities and reform efforts. Effective teachers have confidence their students can learn, and trusting students believe their teachers will not betray them. Through the relationships of respect, confidence, and trust a learning environment can be transformed into a genuine learning…

Within our lives there are spaces of influence or opportunities in which the impact of an "influential other" enables learning in ways that might not otherwise occur. This paper focusses on learning in terms of the learning of others, and in particular the professional impact of John Bowden. Building on the work of Vygotsky (1978), and Wood,…