Accountability for Acceptance: Examining Relational Trust Between School Districts and the Communities They Serve

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: School Districts and Communities: Research-Practice Partnerships, Collaboration, and Trust Across Systems

Abstract

The role of school districts in supporting reform implementation has recently gained research ground. These reform efforts depend upon complicated social ties and capital to survive. While the education community has affirmed the importance of collaborative trust within schools to advance reforms, little attention is paid to the trust structures outside of schools and particularly those that exist between district offices and their communities. This case study examines the relational trust dynamics of central office and constituent public school members in a district facing a large-scale boundary redistricting. Findings indicate that while elements of trust were present, deeper themes of mistrust and a perceived lack of accountability pervaded stakeholder exchanges that both constrained and expanded buy-in to the reform.

Author

• Molly S. Dunn, Notre Dame of Maryland University