This study examined how teachers’ wellbeing relates to vibrant school climate (VSC) and trust in students within a multilevel framework. Participants were 402 educators nested within 35 schools who completed a shortened PERMA-based measure of wellbeing, the Vibrant School Scale, and a measure of faculty trust in students. Multilevel analyses distinguished individual- and school-level effects, with inference based on cluster-robust standard errors. At the within level, teachers who perceived a more vibrant climate than their school’s average reported higher wellbeing (β = 0.56, p < .001), and those who trusted their students more than their colleagues also reported higher wellbeing (β = 0.12, p = .012). At the between level, average VSC was strongly associated with average wellbeing (β = 0.43, p < .001), whereas average trust in students showed no reliable independent association with wellbeing once climate was accounted for. The model explained approximately 52

Trust is essential for leaders in binding the hearts and minds of followers to a shared mission or goal. To nurture high trust environments and to reap the benefits of trust, school leaders must earn the trust of their followers as well as cultivate a culture of trust throughout the organization. Developing strategies for fostering trust through attention to the five facets of trust, including benevolence, honesty, competence, reliability, and openness, provides potent guidance to school leaders. It is imperative that school leaders are knowledgeable about issues of trust because trust is strongly associated with student outcomes in schools.

Purpose Collective teacher efficacy (CTE) is a promising construct for understanding how schools can foster student achievement. Although much of the early research on CTE took place in North America, researchers from other parts of the world are now delving into this topic. The current study explores whether these powerful collective beliefs function similarly across diverse cultural and linguistic groups: Arab and Jewish teachers in Israel, and teachers in Turkey and the USA. Design/methodology/approach Participants included 4,216 teachers from Israel, Turkey and the USA, representing four cultures: Arab, Jewish, Turkish and American. We tested configural invariance using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (AMOS) and alignment optimization (Mplus) to identify the groups in which specific parameters are noninvariant, and to compare the latent factor means. Findings Configural invariance showed adequate fit of the model structure across the four groups. Based on invariance tests, using the alignment optimization method, CTE scales held different meanings for specific items across the four cultures, where the USA and Arab cultures were the sources of these differences. Furthermore, in comparing the two-dimensional CTE belief scale across the four groups, latent means revealed the highest mean ranking for the USA and the lowest for Turkey. Originality/value This research makes a significant theoretical contribution by examining and comparing the concept of teachers' collective efficacy in multiple cultures. This comparison can also contribute to instructional teaching practices worldwide.

Teaching practice periods are intended to prepare pre-service teachers for their professional lives as teachers. With this in mind, we have developed a tool for gathering feedback from learners taught by teachers-in-training to provide these pre-service teachers with feedback that contributes to their professional development. This study presents findings on the degree to which pre-service teachers perceived the feedback from learners to be useful. Using structural equation modeling, we also explored the associations between characteristics of the pre-service teachers and the perceived usefulness of the assessment process. We conclude that teacher training could capitalize on this underutilized form of feedback.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of collective teacher efficacy, academic press and faculty trust, all of which are components of academic optimism (AO), in predicting school innovation. In addition, the authors explored the extent to which faculty trust mediates the association between collective teacher efficacy and academic press with school innovation. Design/methodology/approach In all, 1,009 teachers from 79 schools in Northern Israel completed anonymous questionnaires about AO and innovation. Aggregation, descriptive statistics, bivariate correlation analyses and mediation analysis were performed to analyze the data. Findings Results showed that the components of AO, i.e., collective teacher efficacy, academic press and trust, were positively correlated to school innovation, and that trust mediated the relationship between collective teacher efficacy and school innovation. The study results confirmed that AO holds a significant predictive value in school innovation and highlights the importance of trust in supporting innovation. Practical implications As school leaders are challenged to foster innovative new practices in their schools, the findings suggest that they will need to know how to cultivate collective teacher efficacy, academic press and faculty trust. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the role of the components of AO in predicting innovation. By using a robust sample, the authors were able to examine the proposed school-level model with respect to the factors that affect school innovation. Originality also lies in the organizational approach to educational innovation in relation to faculty’s beliefs and behaviors.

Trust is increasingly recognized by scholars and practitioners alike as a vital element of high-functioning schools. Schools that cultivate high-trust environments are in a better position to accomplish the challenging task of educating a diverse group of students in a changing world. Trust supports schools’ effectiveness and persistence in reform efforts, as well as a culture of innovation and continuous learning. It is also a source of social and financial capital for schools. And most importantly, trust is closely related to student outcomes. Therefore, the study of trust is important because it can support these vital functions in schools. There are a number of conceptual and measurement issues, however, that make the study of organizational trust in schools a challenge. One of the ongoing challenges is how to best define trust, and how we might understand the characteristics trustors assess in making trust judgments. Making clear distinctions between the act of extending trust and being trustworthy is important and will help advance the study of trust relationships in schools. There are also issues with level of analysis, as trust as an organizational property may function differently than at the interpersonal level. Another challenge is the dynamic nature of organizational trust, which may change dramatically with a change in leadership or a major conflict between various factions of teachers. There are a number of promising directions for future research about organizational trust in schools. These include how to foster initial trust, how to sustain trust over time, and how to rebuild broken trust. It would also be useful to delve more deeply into the role trust plays in educator innovation and learning, and why trust seems to play such a potent role in creating the conditions for learning.

This study examined the effects of student trust in teacher and student perceptions of safety on identification with school. Data were collected from one large urban district in an eastern state. Participants included 5441 students in 3rd through 12th grades from 49 schools. Students responded to surveys that assessed student trust in teachers, safety and identification with school. Free and Reduced Lunch (a proxy for SES), school level and ethnicity were included as control variables. Two hypotheses guided the study. Hypothesis 1 stated that student trust, safety and identification with school would positively covary. Hypothesis 2 predicted that student trust in teachers and perceptions of safety were school properties that would individually and collectively explain differences among schools in student identification with school. Both hypotheses were confirmed. The results of the hierarchical linear model indicated that student trust in teachers and school safety accounted for 98% of the 22% of variance that exists among schools in student identification. SES, school level and ethnicity were not significant predictors of identification with school. Findings suggest that student trust in teachers and perceptions of safety may significantly contribute to student identification above the effects of SES, ethnicity and school level.

Chapter 9 Discretion and Trust in Professional Supervisory Practices Megan Tschannen-Moran, Megan Tschannen-MoranSearch for more papers by this authorChristopher R. Gareis, Christopher R. GareisSearch for more papers by this author Megan Tschannen-Moran, Megan Tschannen-MoranSearch for more papers by this authorChristopher R. Gareis, Christopher R. GareisSearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Sally J. Zepeda, Sally J. ZepedaSearch for more papers by this authorJudith A. Ponticell, Judith A. PonticellSearch for more papers by this author First published: 14 September 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119128304.ch9Citations: 1 AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary The notion of discretion in professional practice connotes the ideal of the exercise of learned, expert judgment by a teacher in the service of individual students' needs within the context of one of society's sanctioned institutions, that of public education. This chapter addresses the role of supervisors relative to discretion and trust. It explores the role of the collective profession itself in socializing and policing its members. The term professional learning communities (PLCs) can be defined as the improvement of student learning outcomes through the collective efforts of teachers to strengthen their teaching practices. Trust becomes relevant in situations of interdependence and is premised on a sense of ease in the resulting vulnerability. School personnel are professionals who do their work in the context of bureaucratic systems. Personnel evaluation is essential to the work of well-functioning organizations. Citing Literature The Wiley Handbook of Educational Supervision RelatedInformation

For almost 30 years, school leaders have been challenged to meet both the intent and the spirit of federal laws regarding the education of students with disabilities (DiPaola & Walther-Thomas, 2003).Special education has evolved from segregated classrooms characterized by low academic expectations, social isolation, and poor

Abstract There is a growing awareness of the crucial role that trust plays in every aspect of a school’s functioning and especially to student outcomes. To trust another person or group is to be at ease, without anxiety or worry, in a situation of interdependence in which valued outcomes depend upon the participation and contribution of others. The trustor can rest assured that their expectations will be fulfilled based on confidence in the other party’s benevolence, honesty, openness, reliability, and competence. As citizens across the globe have become increasingly distrustful of their institutions and leaders, the trend away from trust creates a special challenge for schools because trust is so fundamental to their core mission of educating students. The philosopher Annette Baier observed that we tend to notice trust as we notice air, only when it becomes scarce or polluted. These days, it seems evident that trust in our society as a whole has indeed been disrupted and is in scarce supply. As contemporary society has grown more complex, as changing economic realities, changing demographics, and changing expectations in society have made life less predictable, we are beginning to notice trust much more. There are a number of things that make cultivating and maintaining trust in schools challenging. These include the effects of social media, and other new forms of information and the propensity for the news of potential threats to one’s well-being, as well as the well-being of one’s children and community to spread farther and faster than positive news. Trust matters in schools and in our world because we cannot single-handedly either create or sustain many of the things we most cherish. Parents send their children to schools, trusting that they will be safe from harm, as well as guided and taught in keeping with our highest hopes for them. Schools are also invested with a significant share of a community’s collective resources in the form of tax dollars, school buildings, and local employment opportunities. In addition, schools are charged with keeping and promoting a society’s shared values and ideals. They foster and protect the collective ideals of respect, tolerance, and democracy, as well as the vision of equity of opportunity. Indeed, the future of a society rests with the quality of its schools. It is evident, then, why trust has become such a pressing issue for schools in these challenging and turbulent times.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the emotional intelligence (EI) of instructional coaches could be improved with training, as well as how instructional coaches perceived the relevance of EI to their success as coaches.Design/methodology/approach - This mixed-method study was conducted in two phases. The quantitative phase examined pre- and post-test EI scores of 90 instructional coaches who completed a 20-hour coach training intervention designed to improve the coaching skills of educators working with teachers to improve their instruction. Of the nine instructional coaches interviewed for the qualitative phase, four had increased their EI scores while five had decreased. The study took place primarily in the USA, with two participants in the survey portion from countries outside the USA.Findings - Statistically significant increases for EI were found in the full sample. Among the 44 instructional coaches who enrolled on the training course voluntarily, there were significant improvements in total EI, both the interpersonal and interpersonal composites, and all five subscales (i.e. self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills). The mean EI scored for the 46 coaches who were required to take the training did not increase. The themes that emerged from the interviews were increased awareness, improved listening, enhanced empathy, a focus on strengths, and the role of EI in success as instructional coaches.Research limitations/implications - Future research might examine the duration, intensity, and format of training that successfully increases EI scores. For example, comparing face-to-face formats with distance formats, such as the one used in this study, might yield interesting findings. This study would have been strengthened by the inclusion of a control group that received no training.Practical implications - Both quantitative and qualitative analyses provided evidence that EI can be improved through training; thus, such training could be incorporated into initial preparation and ongoing professional development for educators. The differential outcomes for those who volunteered for the training as opposed to those who were required to take the training as part of their jobs highlights the important of the adult learning principle of choice. Thus, the element of choice should be taken into consideration in planning professional development.Originality/value - The use of instructional coaches is an important form of professional development, designed to bring about improved teacher practices. This study provides both quantitative and qualitative evidence of the value of coach training, including statistically significant gains on a validated measure of EI. This study makes an important contribution because prior research on the question of whether EI can be taught has been largely anecdotal.

This article examines a school district’s Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program using perceived self-efficacy in academic achievement and self-regulated learning, GPA and attendance as indicators of program effectiveness. Results suggest that AVID participation was positively and significantly correlated with attendance in the full sample and among Latino/students, and was a strong predictor of self-efficacy and GPA among African Americans. Findings suggest that AVID may be useful to educational leaders in thier efforts to reduce achievement gaps among ethnic minorities.