In this article, we draw on the literature on trust to examine how elementary school principals make sense of superintendent trustworthiness. We examine trust in the context of the principal-superintendent relationship because it is the "social glue" needed for effective professional relationships where student learning and success is at…

This study aimed to identify the factors that foster a collaborative culture in the school improvement process. Estonian schools are characterized by a high degree of autonomy in developing the school curriculum and choosing the appropriate methods for its implementation. As a result, some schools are more successful, while others face…

The purpose of this case study was to explore the context and key features of a successful decade-long district and university principal preparation program. Despite the importance of such partnerships, long-standing partnerships appear to be far from the norm. The partnership was designed in collaboration with faculty at a flagship university in…

Background: Servant leadership is a leadership approach based on universal values and involves an ethical, practical, and meaningful way to live and lead. Servant leadership has been adopted around the world as a follower-centered transformational leadership paradigm focusing on identifying and meeting the needs of others. Purpose: The purpose of…

Trust effects between internal school actors (e.g., teachers, students, administrators, parents) are well established in the literature, but less evidence exists about trust in district administration, leading to the question addressed in this study: Does teacher trust in district administration operate in a similar way as other trust forms? The…

This study measured the mediating effects of faculty trust on the relationship between servant leadership and organizational health. The context of this research was within the field of education, with a focus on elementary education. Public schools in a district in Maryland participated in the research survey. A cross-sectional survey was…

The Every Child Succeeds Act of 2015 signaled a shift toward the recognition of the importance of school leadership, reflecting a growing body of literature that demonstrates principals are second only to classroom instruction in supporting student success. This influence is the greatest when principals focus on teaching and learning, or…

This research explored the transformational leadership traits of principal participants in the Northeast of the United States. The mixed methods case study utilized two data sources: The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI; n = 110) and individual interviews (n = 28). Descriptive statistical data analyses highlighted the five pillars of…

The challenges of special education leadership require both inspiration and capacity. This qualitative study of a purposeful sample of members of a Midwestern special education professional organization explores how leaders in special education experience spirituality in their work--creating meaning, leading/supporting others, and coping with…

Trusting relationships play a crucial role in all aspects of school life. This study builds on this understanding by exploring the role gender and race/ethnicity plays in establishing trust between teachers and principals. Utilizing statewide working conditions survey administered in North Carolina, we employ both descriptive and analytic methods…

This qualitative case study explores the practices and tensions of being an effective principal in a turnaround school through an in-depth analysis of one principal who has been successful in several turnaround settings. Although principals have long been cited as foundational to a school's success, being the principal of a turnaround school is a…

Teacher turnover continues to be a chronic problem for low-income schools and is especially high in urban charter schools. New evidence shows that teachers' perceptions of school leadership and trust are two of the most powerful predictors of turnover. Using interviews with former No Excuses charter school (NECS) teachers, this study seeks to…

This case study was initiated to gain a deeper understanding of the learning journey of one principal in a rural, secondary school. Three findings emerged from the data: (1) creating a shared vision tor learning emerged as the principal worked to cultivate a sense of possibility for change in the school; (2) a more personal approach to learning…

Trust is recognized as a critical component of effective leadership. One way trust forms is through the experiences in the history of communication transactions between individuals. This study was a first step to test the relationship between communication competence skills and trust in leaders. A sample of 1,138 international school teachers in…

Research from the past two decades positions relational trust as a key factor in school reform efforts. Trust between teachers and their principal (teacher-principal trust) and teachers and their colleagues (teacher-teacher trust) are particularly important. "Leading Together" (LT) is a new professional development and coaching model of…