A Study of Teacher Trust in Clients and Student Achievement in Texas Suburban Schools

The teacher trust in clients construct embodies the collective level of teacher trust in students and parents. While teacher trust in clients has been recognized as a positive predictor of student achievement controlling for student demographics, previous studies have not tested the effect of teacher trust on student achievement in suburban elementary schools with large and diverse student populations. This study examined the relationship between teacher trust in clients and student achievement. It also examined collective teacher trust in relation to school demographics. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between teacher trust in students and parents in relationship to student achievement in reading and mathematics. The secondary purpose of the study was designed to determine if demographic variables had an impact on teacher trust and student achievement. The conceptual framework of trust was based on relationships within and between social groups. Using a sample of 10,464 students nested within 97 participating elementary schools with a large and diverse student populations located in suburban public school districts in South Texas, the researcher determined the level of teachers’ trust in students and parents. Analysis indicated that teacher trust in students and parents reported higher levels of achievement on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills controlling for student ethnicity, economic disadvantaged status, prior achievement, and school size. The within school variance in mathematics achievement explained by the multilevel model was 46%, whereas the within school variance in reading achievement explained by the multilevel model was 24%. The results of the multilevel analysis revealed that between school variance in mathematics achievement explained by the multilevel model was 81%, while the between school variance in reading achievement explained by the multilevel model was 90%. Additionally, the multiple regression analysis indicated that only 72% of the variance in teacher trust was explained by student demographics. Thus, student achievement might be improved through systematic efforts to develop teacher trust in clients. The results of this study suggest improving relationships between teachers, students, and parents can have a positive impact on student performance in reading and mathematics achievement