| Establishing levels of trust in a school is a multifaceted practice, directly related to the excellence of the teaching and learning process, the school leadership teams, certificated staff members, and all the support and ancillary staff members of the school community. Learning is created when students and teachers work together. The art and science of teaching is knowing how to bring out the best in all students. Trust is fundamental to this process. Trust is manifest in situations in which we must rely on the competence of others and their willingness to look after what is most important to us. The literature on trust is limited, yet growing steadily. Existing research provides background on what trust is, how it is built, how it is lost, its effects on a school, and the relationship of trust and the school administrators. It also suggests the use of surveys and interviews in measuring the levels of trust.;This descriptive study analyzes the levels of trust in the Central New Jersey Vocational Technical School between and among the vocational and special education teachers and the administrative team. This study made use of trust surveys and interviews with the administrative team, the special education staff, and the vocational instructors to identify the present levels of trust and the salient factors contributing to present levels of trust.;This study also reports on the initial phase of the development of a plan of action to develop and sustain trust between the special education staff, the vocational instructors, and the administrative team. This plan will serve as a vehicle to build the levels of trust in an effort to improve the teaching and learning process in the Central New Jersey Vocational Technical School. |
