We are in an era of radical distrust of public education. Increasingly, we turn to standardized tests and standardized curricula-now adopted by all fifty states-as our national surrogates for trust. Legendary school founder and reformer Deborah Meier believes fiercely that schools have to win our faith by showing they can do their job. But she argues just as fiercely that standardized testing is precisely the wrong way to that end. The tests themselves, she argues, cannot give the results they claim. And in the meantime, they undermine the kind of education we actually want. In this multilayered exploration of trust and schools, Meier critiques the ideology of testing and puts forward a different vision, forged in the success stories of small public schools she and her colleagues have created in Boston and New York. These nationally acclaimed schools are built, famously, around trusting teachers-and students and parents-to use their own judgment. Meier traces the enormous educational value of trust; the crucial and complicated trust between parents and teachers; how teachers need to become better judges of each others' work; how race and class complicate trust at all levels; and how we can begin to 'scale up' from the kinds of successes she has created.

Most Americans agree on the necessity of education reform, but there is little consensus about how this goal might be achieved. The rhetoric of standards and vouchers has occupied center stage, polarizing public opinion and affording little room for reflection on the intangible conditions that make for good schools. Trust in Schools engages this debate with a compelling examination of the importance of social relationships in the successful implementation of school reform. Over the course of three years, Bryk and Schneider, together with a diverse team of other researchers and school practitioners, studied reform in twelve Chicago elementary schools. Each school was undergoing extensive reorganization in response to the Chicago School Reform Act of 1988, which called for greater involvement of parents and local community leaders in their neighborhood schools. Drawing on years longitudinal survey and achievement data, as well as in-depth interviews with principals, teachers, parents, and local community leaders, the authors develop a thorough account of how effective social relationships—which they term relational trust—can serve as a prime resource for school improvement. Using case studies of the network of relationships that make up the school community, Bryk and Schneider examine how the myriad social exchanges that make up daily life in a school community generate, or fail to generate, a successful educational environment. The personal dynamics among teachers, students, and their parents, for example, influence whether students regularly attend school and sustain their efforts in the difficult task of learning. In schools characterized by high relational trust, educators were more likely to experiment with new practices and work together with parents to advance improvements. As a result, these schools were also more likely to demonstrate marked gains in student learning. In contrast, schools with weak trust relations saw virtually no improvement in their reading or mathematics scores. Trust in Schools demonstrates convincingly that the quality of social relationships operating in and around schools is central to their functioning, and strongly predicts positive student outcomes. This book offer insights into how trust can be built and sustained in school communities, and identifies some features of public school systems that can impede such development. Bryk and Schneider show how a broad base of trust across a school community can provide a critical resource as education professional and parents embark on major school reforms. A Volume in the American Sociological Association's Rose Series in Sociology

This guide to developing the public's confidence in schools was issued by the Phi Delta Kappa Commission for Developing Public Confidence in Schools. After a brief introduction, chapter 2 discusses the crisis of confidence in schools. Chapter 3 contains a definition of "confidence" that guides the work of the commission. Chapter 4 is a summary of the basic approaches to winning public confidence as advocated by several schools of thought, ranging from an agricultural approach to advocacy approaches, to political and social work approaches. Chapter 5 discusses the factors that cause the public to gain or lose confidence in the schools. Chapter 6 provides an analysis of the data supplied by the schools and districts to support their claim for enjoying high public confidence. Chapter 7 discusses the characteristics of schools that enjoy public confidence. Chapter 8 summarizes the factors that erode public confidence. Chapter 9 contains checklists that schools or districts can use to gather data to guide action to improve public confidence. References are included. (SI)

So much energy is focused on whats wrong with our public schools and how to fix them that we often lose sight of the extraordinary work occurring in our schools every day, thanks to millions of caring, dedicated professional educators who work hard to ensure every student reaches their potential. In Hello! My Name is Public School and I Have an Image Problem, authors and teachers Leslie Milder and Jane Braddock provide a solution for educators who wish to strengthen public confidence in their public schools. They share commonsense techniques on how schools and their employees can establish themselves as ambassadors who convey a positive message. This book enunciates a step-by-step approach to challenging the unjust criticism and accusations of failure by directing the energies of those who work in our schools to step up as ambassadors for Americas public schools and the children they serve. The authors underscore the power of professional unity and its profoundly positive impact on the profession, and why a culture of brotherhood is an essential element of any successful organization. The forces that weaken public trust and confidence in public education are discussed at length, as well as strategies for restoring public pride, hope, optimism, and confidence in our public schools and in those who dedicate their lives to educating our youth.

Each book includes a 15 gift card from DonorsChoose.org to give to a classroom in need. The American public school system is in crisis, failing millions of students, producing as many drop-outs as graduates, and threatening our economic future. By 2020, the United States will have 123 million high-skill jobs to fill -- and fewer than 50 million Americans qualified to fill them. Educators, parents, political leaders, business people, and concerned citizens are determined to save our educational system. Waiting for "Superman" offers powerful insights from some of those at the leading edge of educational innovation, including Bill and Melinda Gates, Michelle Rhee, Geoffrey Canada, and more. Waiting for "Superman" is an inspiring call for reform and includes special chapters that provide resources, ideas, and hands-on suggestions for improving the schools in your own community as well as throughout the nation. For parents, teachers, and concerned citizens alike, Waiting for "Superman" is an essential guide to the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing America's schools.

Ideas for positive personal action to build confidence in our public schools.