Abstract
This qualitative case study explored teachers’ perspectives on building trust with students in a high-needs urban high school, referred to as Commonwealth High School. Guided by a constructivist paradigm, the study examined how three secondary teachers understood, enacted, and experienced teacher-student trust within their instructional practice. Data was collected through surveys, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis, and analyzed using open and axial coding methods. Findings revealed that teachers viewed trust as both foundational and reciprocal, rooted in cultural respect, authenticity, and relational consistency. Teachers described employing strategies such as restorative practices, emotional regulation, and personalized connections to foster and maintain trust. Challenges emerged in the form of student trauma, food and housing insecurity, and systemic barriers, which often strained teacher-student relationships. Yet teachers emphasized that broken trust was not irreparable; instead, persistence, patience, and consistency were central to rebuilding connections. This study contributes to the growing scholarship on trust in high-needs schools by highlighting trust as an essential condition for teaching and learning. The “Tree of Trust” conceptual model developed in this study illustrates how trust is grounded in foundational conditions, strengthened through positive practices, and yields outcomes such as improved classroom climate, student engagement, and academic resilience. Implications for curriculum and instruction include designing culturally responsive pedagogy, embedding restorative practices, and providing professional development that prioritizes relational trust as a core component of effective teaching.
