| With the onset of the No Child Left Behind Act, school districts across the United States are mandated to reform their structure of education and administrative roles to ensure success for all students. No longer will the status quo be accepted. Change is imperative, and with this change, come challenges. Clearly, there is no silver bullet to prescribe immediate student achievement, but the demarcation of Shirley Hord's (2008) Professional Learning Communities gives educators clarity on building collaborative communities to better meet the needs of a diverse student population. Furthermore, Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) note teaching is a shared profession, with collective responsibility, and mutual learning. In addition, case studies on school reform highlight initiatives schools are undergoing to follow NCLB guidelines to ensure student success. A striking concept pointed out in all case studies is the need for trusting relationships. Bryk and Schneider's (2003) research during the Chicago Decentralization Reform Act uncovers that relational trust is a vital component to student success. Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) uncover the pointless efforts of schools to implement professional learning communities if administrators are not able to or willing to build trust and respect with and among their teachers. Furthermore, Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) note trust does not just happen accidentally. Relationships that demonstrate trust, and build new norms founded on trust, are perhaps the best ways to increase trust. Consequently, this study will highlight trust and within the framework investigate the five components of trust (Tschannen-Moran, 2004) and their relationships to the dimensions of a professional learning community (Hipp & Huffman, 2010) and capacity building (Fullan, 2007) to sustain change. The overarching goal of this research study is to explore the relationship between trust, professional learning communities, and capacity building. |
