Building Trust Between Principals and Teachers

How staff members in a given school set about increasing the level of trust between principals and teachers will depend to a great degree upon individual circumstances: school size, stability, history, existing relationships among faculty and administrators, and so on. Listed below are some general suggestions from researchers, professors of education, and practitioners for laying a foundation for teacher-principal trust.

Demonstrate personal integrity. First and foremost, highly regarded principals demonstrate honesty and commitment to follow through—in all interactions with faculty, support staff, parents, and students (Barlow, 2001; Blase & Blase, 2001; Sebring & Bryk, 2000). Although teachers’ honesty and integrity in interactions with the principal are important, too, it is the responsibility of the principal—the person with more power in the relationship—to set the stage for trusting relationships with teachers and other school staff.

Show that you care. Trusted and respected principals take "a personal interest in the well-being of others": teachers, students, their families, and other members of the larger school community (Sebring & Bryk, 2000).

Be accessible. Principals earn trust from members of the school community by encouraging open communication and actively making themselves available to teachers, parents, students, and staff (Black, 1997; Blase & Blase, 2001; Sebring & Bryk, 2000). Barlow (2001) argues, "Once the leader takes the risk of being open, others are more likely to take a similar risk—and thereby take the first steps necessary to building a culture of trust" (p. 26).

Facilitate and model effective communication. Ineffective communication, including individuals’ inability or unwillingness to listen to what others have to say, is a sure way to "confound problem solving, reduce trust, and magnify feelings of isolation among administrators, teachers, and support personnel" (Blase & Blase, 2001, p. 25). As Lambert (1998) notes, "Trust is built and experienced within the context of multifaceted communication systems…. A communication system needs to be open and fluid, include feedback loops, and be practiced by everyone in the school" (pp. 79–80).

Involve staff in decisionmaking. Facilitate authentic participation by asking for the input of those affected by decisions, providing background information necessary for staff to weigh in on decisions, and treating teachers as capable professionals whose insights are valuable (Black, 1997; Blase & Blase, 2001).

Celebrate experimentation and support risk. Give teachers room to try new things and to make mistakes. Supporting innovation and risk taking demonstrates respect for teachers as learners and as professionals whose judgment can be trusted (Blase & Blase, 2001). "Trusted principals," Barlow (2001) notes, "empower teachers and draw out the best in them" (p. 31).

Express value for dissenting views. Being able to express concerns and disagreement without fear of reprisal is essential to building trusting relationships (Lien, Johnson, & Ragland, 1997). Blase and Blase (2001) advise principals to "welcome and embrace conflict as a way to produce substantive, positive outcomes over the long run. Regarding conflict as potentially constructive helps build supportive human relationships because it allows us to deal with our differences in win-win ways" (p. 29). It also allows teachers to feel more secure in providing honest input and participating meaningfully in school decisionmaking.

Reduce teachers’ sense of vulnerability. Bryk and Schneider (2002) remind school leaders, "As public criticism focuses on schools’ inadequacies, teachers need to know that their principal values their efforts and senses their good intentions" (p. 129). A core element of this is demonstrating, through both words and action, that "teachers can and should be trusted to do what is best for students" (p. 33). In environments in which teachers feel unsupported, mistrusted, or constantly on the verge of reprimand, trust between teachers and administrators is unlikely to improve.

Ensure that teachers have basic resources. When teachers know that the principal can be depended upon to provide necessary books and supplies—and to do it in a timely fashion—trust in that person as a responsible leader grows (Kratzer, 1997; Sebring & Bryk, 2000).

Be prepared to replace ineffective teachers. This final suggestion is offered as a last resort, and warrants a strong word of caution. Removing a staff member, particularly if it is done unprofessionally, without warning, or without clear cause, holds great potential to damage a principal’s relationship with teachers and lower the level of trust in the school. However, there may be situations in which taking action to replace ineffective staff members with strong teachers who support the school’s mission is necessary. A principal’s unwillingness or inability to remove teachers who are widely regarded as incompetent is likely to undermine his or her trust with other staff members (Bryk & Schneider, 2003).