Improving Schools

A volume in Research and Theory in Educational AdministrationSeries Editors: Wayne K. Hoy The Ohio State Universityand Michael DiPaola The College of William and MaryImproving Schools: Studies in Leadership and Culture is the seventh in a series on research andtheory dedicated to advancing our understanding of schools through empirical study and theoreticalanalysis. This book is organized around two broad concepts-leadership and culture whichhave important implications for improving schools.The book begins with an analysis of the saliency of trust in the culture of schools. In the first chapterPatrick Forsyth's review of the consequences of school trust sets the tone for seeking anddeveloping school cultures that enhance high academic performance of students. The investigationof school trust is traced over several decades at four research universities as scholars at each institution conceptualized refined andexamined the consequences of school trust. It seems fair to conclude that a school culture that is anchored in values and norms of facultytrusting students and parents facilitates high academic achievement and positive outcomes.