A Matter of Trust: Building and Maintaining a Positive, Resilient, and Transparent School Culture

Trust is at the heart of school success. We know this. So, what can we do to nurture and sustain a culture of trust in our own organisations? How can we restore broken trust and what actions can we take to strengthen trust during times of crisis?
Next Session: Feburary 17 - March, 2025
What you are going to learn

Course Outcomes

Having connected to some diverse research into the significance of organisational and relational trust, we will explore practical ways to build and nurture it within our school communities. We'll also consider extended crises and what actions we can take during these now all too familiar times of challenge. 
The course aims to help you:

  • Gain confidence in defining trust
  • Understand the five facets of trust and assess your strengths and areas in need of growth in relation to these
  • Uncover your leadership style in relation to engendering trust
  • Explore ways of measuring trust in your organisation
  • Identify ways to restore broken trust
  • Discover practices for preserving trust during crises
  • Use Appreciative Inquiry to reflect on learnings, using the group’s collective expertise and experience, to promote leadership growth within ourselves and others 
course Facilitator

Rachel Caldwell

Rachel Caldwell is the Director of the American International School of Bucharest (AISB). Her career in education began 33 years ago, in inner-city London. She arrived at AISH via Ukraine, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Italy, China, and South Africa.

Rachel is fascinated by the impact that trust, and loss of trust, has on individuals and on organisations. Her own experience has made it clear that trust is a critical aspect of successful leadership and it matters even more in times of extended crisis. Rachel is influenced, in particular, by Megan Tschannen-Moran’s extensive research on this concept as well as that of the neuro-economist, Paul Zak.