Abstract

Although a substantial body of evidence documents the potential effectiveness of the community school strategy, we are still determining why community schools have shown uneven results. To address this gap, we investigate how leaders developed social capital in three established community schools that serve marginalized communities. Drawing on documents, qualitative interviews with principals and community school coordinators, and studies of how they spent their time, we use relational trust theory to analyze the social interactions of school leaders. We find that the schools successfully developed productive partnerships and garnered services and supports to benefit their students and families. Facing differing patterns of leadership turnover and other contextual challenges, however, the schools varied in their abilities to leverage the resources made available to them to equalize student outcomes. Success, in part, stemmed from school and district administrators’ abilities to build trusting relationships and align stakeholders’ efforts around a cohesive, student-centered vision that addressed the schools’ core academic program. The ensuing discussion furthers understandings about shared leadership and trust as levers for school improvement.

摘要

尽管大量证据证明了社区学校战略的潜在有效性，但我们仍在确定为什么社区学校表现出不平衡的结果。为了弥补这一差距，我们调查了领导者如何在三所为边缘化社区服务的成熟社区学校中发展社会资本。根据文件、对校长和社区学校协调员的定性访谈，以及对他们如何度过时间的研究，我们使用关系信任理论来分析学校领导的社会互动。我们发现学校成功地建立了富有成效的合作伙伴关系并获得了服务和支持，使他们的学生和家庭受益。然而，面对不同的领导层更替模式和其他环境挑战，学校利用可用资源平衡学生成绩的能力各不相同。成功的部分原因在于学校和地区管理人员有能力建立信任关系，并围绕解决学校核心学​​术计划的以学生为中心的凝聚力愿景协调利益相关者的努力。随后的讨论进一步加深了对共享领导力和信任作为学校改进杠杆的理解。