Building Reciprocal Trust: Tracing Interactions Between Elected and State-Appointed School Boards and Their Community

• In Event: Roundtable Session 57
  In Roundtable Session: Policies and the Sociopolitical Environment: Impacts on Lives and Outcomes

Abstract

This 5-year qualitative study, situated in a small urban district, explores the dynamics of building trust in interactions between the community and two different school boards. From 2007-2010, researchers documented community interactions with a state-appointed school board. From 2010-2012, researchers followed community engagement with the locally elected school board when it returned to power. Although the state-appointed board initially encountered distrust from the community, they worked to build reciprocal trust. In contrast, as known community members, the elected board began their term with stakeholders’ trust. However, they engaged in practices that led to distrust and distance from the community. This paper explores the trust-making/breaking practices enacted by each board and considers the implications for democratic participation in school districts.

Authors

• Kathryn McGinn Luet, Rowan University

• Katherine Schultz, Mills College