Chapter 4: The Evolution of Trust Relationships in School– Community Partnership Development: From Calculated Risk-Taking to Unconditional Faith

This chapter aims to clarify the process of creating school–community partnerships by explicating the role of trust in these relationships from comparative case study data of two secondary schools with numerous partnerships and characterized by economic and cultural diversity. Drawing on the analysis of documents, observations, and 25 interviews with principals, teachers, and community partners, trust and the presence of personal networks are shown to facilitate partnering, from goal-setting through activity selection to ongoing assessment and maintenance. A base level of trust is required to successfully contact potential partners and to negotiate the goals and collaborative activities. This trust grows through repeated interaction where partners’ expectations are met. Partners with a reputation of trustworthiness attract other potential partners in the community, which has implications for school personnel who wish to increase community involvement in their schools. This chapter assists both educators and researchers to better understand the partnership process and to enable educators to effectively establish partnerships with community members.