ERIC Number: ED529296
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Feb
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Review of "What's Trust Got to Do with It?"
Mathis, William J.
National Education Policy Center
This report offers recommendations for building community support for federal school turnaround approaches, particularly in communities that oppose these approaches. Parents, the report concludes, want improvement but cherish their local schools and distrust the turnaround options mandated from above by higher levels of government. Thus, community members rise up in anger when their school faces closure, conversion to a charter school, breaking-up, or forced replacement of staff. Arguing that this resistance is due in large part to parents not understanding how bad their schools are, the report proposes that by engaging the public constructively and using eight communication strategies, parents will react more positively towards imposed turnaround approaches. The report does not address the body of research that shows school turnarounds to be generally unsuccessful. Further, even though parents in the study raise concerns that their schools are under-resourced and face significant social problems, the report fails to address these issues. By diverting attention from the real problems correctly identified by the parents and by possibly disrupting ongoing reforms, this communication strategy holds little promise for actually improving education and could prove harmful. (Contains 6 notes.) [For the document reviewed, "What's Trust Got to Do with It? A Communications and Engagement Guide for School Leaders Tackling the Problem of Persistently Failing Schools," see ED529276.]
Descriptors: Communication Strategies, Community Support, School Restructuring, Educational Change, Change Strategies, Educational Policy, Research Reports, Community Influence, Community Cooperation, Community Coordination, Community Benefits, Educational Practices, Educational Research, Compliance (Legal), Accountability, School Effectiveness, Community Attitudes, Trust (Psychology)
National Education Policy Center. School of Education 249 UCB University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309. Tel: 303-735-5290; e-mail: nepc@colorado.edu; Web site: http://nepc.colorado.edu
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Great Lakes Center for Education Research and Practice
Authoring Institution: University of Colorado at Boulder, National Education Policy Center
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A