Episode 4: Trust Is the Beginning Place
Discussion Questions
Describe the level of trust in your school:
between staff and students
between staff and parents
among staff
among students
What can you do individually and as a staff to increase the levels of trust?
1st Frame:
Hello! I’m Julie McDaniel-Muldoon, Safety and Well-Being Consultant at Oakland Schools. I created the Supportive Strategies Series with 3-minute episodes of strategies I think might be helpful to you, especially during this extraordinary time. These short and sweet episodes are based on research and best practice. Episode Trust Is the Beginning Place. Let’s begin.
2nd Frame:
The CDC in collaboration with SAMHSA established 6 guiding principles for trauma-informed care. While safety is the number 1 consideration, trustworthiness is number 2. Trust is an essential part of strong and supportive school cultures. It is integral to effective organizational change, successful school reform and more. As author Barbara Smith writes, “Trust…is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built.”
3rd Frame:
Placing trust in another involves two considerations. The first consideration is a person’s willingness to be vulnerable to another. It acknowledges the potential for being hurt. The second consideration is placing confidence in another being benevolent, reliable, competent, honest, and open. Both the willingness to be vulnerable and the perception of benevolence are necessary for trust.
4th Frame:
Building the trust needed for healthy and supportive schools requires shifting this interperson concept to an organizational perspective. This trust is relational trust and is found is social exchanges. It is reflected by respect, personal regard, competence, and integrity. Researchers Bryk and Schneider explain that relational trust is the connective tissue that binds us together to advance the education and welfare of students.
5th Frame:
Research on trust suggests that assuming positive intention is the most important component of building trust. Trust in schools requires psychological safety where people speak freely, honestly, and openly. Building trust in an online context is more challenging, but is possible. It requires predictable patterns of actions, ongoing communication, positive social atmosphere, constant feedback, and transparency of motive. Building trust must be a deliberate and transparent process with ongoing monitoring and adjustment. Trust is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built.
Final Frame:
All of this content is based on solid research and best practice. Please contact me for references, more resources, and suggested topics for future episodes: julie.mcdaniel@oakland.k12.mi.us
Selected Resources
Bryk, A.S., & Schneider, B. (2003). Trust in schools: A core resource for school reform. Educational Leadership 60(6):40-45. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar03/vol60/num06/Trust-in-Schools@-A-Core-Resource-for-School-Reform.aspx.
The Colorado Trust (2008). Build trust, end bullying, improve learning: evaluation of The Colorado Trust’s bullying prevention initiative. Retrieved from Denver, CO: https://www.coloradotrust.org/sites/default/files/COTrust_FINALAPRVD_112408.pdf.
Louis, K.S. (2007). Trust and improvement in schools. Journal of Educational Change, 6(1), 1-24. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259754500_60_Louis_KS_2007_Trust_and_improvement_in_schools_Journal_of_Educational_Change_61_1-24.
Marcinek, A. (2014, October 22). Digital Citizenship: Developing a Culture of Trust and Transparency. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/digital-citizenship-culture-trust-transparency-andrew-marcinek.
Tschannen-Moran, M. (2004). Trust matters: Leadership for successful schools. Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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