May 2014
Trust is integral to educator learning and student success. From teachers to policymakers, understanding how trust contributes to professional learning and how to build it is critical at all levels. This is especially important during times of major changes, such as when systems are implementing college- and career-ready standards or educator evaluation policies.
Practitioner Perspectives
Teacher Leader
Instructional coach shares her secrets for building trust
Jill Kind, an instructional coach for Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minnesota, shares how she builds trust with her teachers and the unique challenges teacher leaders and coaches face.
Principal
Building trust offers challenges and opportunities for principals
Brian Horne, principal for Cedar Mill Elementary in Beaverton, Oregon, discusses the many challenges and opportunities principals face when building trust and how he built a culture of trust at his school.
System Leader
Trust is a necessity for learning systems
Karen Beattie, coordinator of professional development for Volusia County Schools in DeLand, Florida, says trust is a necessity for effective learning systems and explains how she builds trust throughout her district.
Featured Tool:
Trustworthy: How trustworthy am I? Improve how others see you
Use this tool to explore how you can strengthen your levels of trustworthiness.
Concerns
Consider these cautions to help identify and address distractions that may take the focus off of educator learning.
Actions
Learning Forward recommends these standards-based actions to improve the quality of your learning communities.
Featured Resource:
Collective Trust: Why Schools Can't Improve Without It
Collective Trust 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.
Anthony Armstrong (anthony.armstrong@learningforward.org), Learning Forward's associate director of publications, is the editor of Transform Professional Learning.
Learning Forward's new digital publications are supported in part by MetLife Foundation.
