This is a study of the predictors of collective responsibility. Research indicates strong links between collegial behavior, faculty trust in colleagues, and effectiveness (Tarter, Sabo, & Hoy, 1995). Trust as a construct related to collective responsibility is grounded in the logic that building trust between teachers leads to the development of school cultures that promote teacher collaboration (Whalan, 2012). This study examined surveys from 60 elementary schools in Northwest Alabama investigating faculty trust in the principal, collegial trust, and collegial principal leadership, to determine predictors of collective responsibility while controlling for SES. Faculty trust in the principal and faculty trust in colleagues were measured using the Omnibus Trust Scale, collegial principal leadership was measured using the Organizational Climate Index, and Collective Responsibility was measured using the Collective Responsibility Scale. The research results indicated a significant relationship between trust in colleagues and collective responsibility. A significant relationship was not indicated between trust in the principal and collective responsibility or collegial principal leadership and collective responsibility. Also, noteworthy was the finding that SES was not a significant predictor of collective responsibility.

This study examined the relationships between collegial principal leadership, trust in the principal, collaboration, and teacher role stress in rural and urban schools in North Alabama. The sample was initially comprised of schools with K-6 grade configurations, later expanded to include a variety of configurations that had a fourth grade. A total of 60 schools of varying grade configurations agreed to participate in this research and 1,665 teachers voluntarily completed surveys. The four instruments used in this study were the Collaboration Survey, and the Teacher Role Stress Survey, the Omnibus Trust Scale, and the Organizational Climate Index (OCI). Specific subsets were used from the first three instruments for this study. Of the three subsets in the Collaboration Survey, only the Collaboration with Principal and Collaboration Among Teacher Colleagues subscales were included. From the Omnibus Trust Scale, only the Faculty Trust in Principal subscale was included. The Collegial Principal Leadership subscale of the Organizational Climate Index (OCI) was also included. The findings supported the hypotheses. Collegial principal leadership and trust in the principal were significant predictors of collaboration, but only collegial principal leadership made a unique contribution toward collaboration in multiple regressions. As predicted, trust in the principal and collegial principal leadership were inversely related to teacher role stress, with only trust in the principal making a unique contribution. Collaboration also had a significant inverse relationship to teacher role stress. Controlling for SES in multiple regressions did not demonstrate any significant differences in the data.

The culmination of nearly three decades of research, Collective Trust offers new insight and practical knowledge on the social construction of trust for school improvement. The authors argue that collective trust is not merely an average trust score for a group, but rather an independent concept with distinctive origins and consequences. The book demonstrates that schools are organizations that require environments characterized by high levels of collective trust to be effective. Including an historical overview, an exhaustive review of the empirical research, and implications for school reform policy and leadership, this is the most comprehensive resource to date on the issue of collective trust.

Most Americans agree on the necessity of education reform, but there is little consensus about how this goal might be achieved. The rhetoric of standards and vouchers has occupied center stage, polarizing public opinion and affording little room for reflection on the intangible conditions that make for good schools. Trust in Schools engages this debate with a compelling examination of the importance of social relationships in the successful implementation of school reform. Over the course of three years, Bryk and Schneider, together with a diverse team of other researchers and school practitioners, studied reform in twelve Chicago elementary schools. Each school was undergoing extensive reorganization in response to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988, which called for greater involvement of parents and local community leaders in their neighborhood schools. Drawing on years longitudinal survey and achievement data, as well as in-depth interviews with principals, teachers, parents, and local community leaders, the authors develop a thorough account of how effective social relationships—which they term relational trust—can serve as a prime resource for school improvement. Using case studies of the network of relationships that make up the school community, Bryk and Schneider examine how the myriad social exchanges that make up daily life in a school community generate, or fail to generate, a successful educational environment. The personal dynamics among teachers, students, and their parents, for example, influence whether students regularly attend school and sustain their efforts in the difficult task of learning. In schools characterized by high relational trust, educators were more likely to experiment with new practices and work together with parents to advance improvements. As a result, these schools were also more likely to demonstrate marked gains in student learning. In contrast, schools with weak trust relations saw virtually no improvement in their reading or mathematics scores. Trust in Schools demonstrates convincingly that the quality of social relationships operating in and around schools is central to their functioning, and strongly predicts positive student outcomes. This book offer insights into how trust can be built and sustained in school communities, and identifies some features of public school systems that can impede such development. Bryk and Schneider show how a broad base of trust across a school community can provide a critical resource as education professional and parents embark on major school reforms. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology

This book samples recent and emerging trust research in education including an array of conceptual approaches, measurement innovations, and explored determinants and outcomes of trust. The collection of pathways explores the phenomenon of trust and establishes the significance of trust relationships in school life. It emboldens the claim that trust merits continued attention of both scholars and practitioners because of the role it plays in the production of equity and excellence. Divided into four parts, the book explores trust under the rubrics of learning, teaching, leading and bridging. The book proposes a variety of directions for future research. These include the simultaneous investigation of trust from the prospectives of various trusters, and at both the individual and group levels, longitudinal research designs, and an elaboration of methods.

This new, hands-on guide is a valuable resource for both current and aspiring school leaders. The Trust Factor presents real-world examples and relevant research to help you develop the essential skills you need for building trust with everyone on staff. The strategies in this book are explained with simple, easy-to-implement steps you can apply immediately to your own practice, and are accompanied by reflection questions and self-assessment tools to help you succeed.