Rebuilding Trust: The Key to Transforming Schools

Change can be beneficial in many cases. It forces us to do things differently or to get rid of unnecessary items or procedures. The phrase “We’ve always done it this way” shows just how much an organization risks becoming unable to respond to the unexpected. Nevertheless, psychologically speaking, changing methods or environments can cause anxiety. Habits are comforting, and what’s more, changes can sometimes prove counterproductive.

The world of education knows this all too well. All over the globe, educational reforms are being implemented time and again. This is hardly surprising, since we can no longer teach today the way we did in 1980. Teaching methods have evolved, and the reality faced by younger generations differs from that of their predecessors. However, it is often the case that reform proposals from public authorities fail to take into account the realities of today’s schools…

When Everything Comes from the Top

This is often what teachers in general criticize: political decisions made hastily, without solid scientific backing, and imposed on teachers. This so-called “top-down” approach—that is, from the top of the pyramid down—is the one most commonly used when it comes time to implement changes. The strategy is traditional and is still prevalent in many professional settings. Nevertheless, it is losing ground today; organizations prefer a hybrid approach combining “top-down” and “bottom-up” elements (where direction comes more from the grassroots), as younger generations respond better to this type of management.

The education sector, too, is finding this approach increasingly difficult to handle. Reactions are often knee-jerk and can escalate into open conflict.

The end of the 2025–2026 school year in Belgium clearly demonstrated this. The Wallonia-Brussels Federation decided by decree to increase the number of weekly class periods and to reduce sick leave and other types of leave in order to “cut costs.” The reaction was immediate: protests, teacher demonstrations, and threats to boycott end-of-year exams. Despite the reform’s adoption, the anger has not subsided, and some fear for the start of the 2026–2027 school year. This is especially true since the increased workload for teachers means that others will no longer have access to a teaching position in the coming school year.

However, this situation in Belgium comes as no surprise. Walloon teachers have been subjected to numerous decrees, circulars, and procedures—all without any improvement in the academic performance of French-speaking students. They rarely oppose the goals themselves, but rather the administrative aspects and the increasingly complex processes that fail to take into account the realities of a sector facing a labor shortage, for that matter.

The Belgian education system is no different from that of Quebec, for example, which has seen a flood of approaches, policies, and reforms poured upon it. There was a risk of major funding cuts, which the government ultimately reversed—though it retained a portion of the funds and imposed hourly caps on school teams. This, of course, had negative consequences for students with special needs and for staff.

Ireland faces the same reality, with a proliferation of initiatives and restructuring efforts that force teachers to manage all these new approaches rather than focus on teaching. Not to mention the promises of future equipment… that never materialize.

All of this leads to a climate of mistrust in the educational community. Everyone fears reform proposals from public authorities, and teachers view school administrators with suspicion. For example, in April 2026, the Quebec government decreed that school administrations would have unprecedented flexibility to spend funds from budgets grouped into 37 categories. However, while school administrators viewed the announcement as extraordinary news, teachers were immediately suspicious. This is because the budget category covering “sports, cultural, and social activities” could lead some to prioritize sports at the expense of culture. They also fear that the minimum funding that used to guarantee certain services will simply be cut.

Stepping Out of the Ivory Tower

This mistrust didn’t come out of nowhere. Most teachers have seen too many successive governments impose arbitrary measures on them. This lack of trust inevitably creates an environment hostile to change.

Especially in a context where artificial intelligence is also gaining ground, a delicate touch is more than necessary to bring about the changes that are needed. This does not mean, however, that it is impossible. It would, however, require stepping out of the ivory towers of government ministries and going out to listen to ideas on the ground. Teachers have a very clear understanding of what works and what doesn’t and can offer a perspective from the front lines.

In fact, the Autonomous Teachers’ Federation has proposed several ideas it would like to see implemented. Admittedly, this is a teachers’ union, and therefore its opinion is not neutral. Nevertheless, if we were to be provocative, we might question the supposed neutrality of the many reforms introduced in the past…

Building a True Partnership

To restore the trust and loyalty of the teaching staff, it seems that ignoring them is not the right solution. On the contrary, things go much more smoothly when there is a well-developed partnership with all stakeholders in the educational community.

Morocco, currently in the midst of education reforms, views them not as leeches draining money but as true partners in modernizing the national education system. This does not mean that everything will go off without a hitch. Nevertheless, they are trying to approach the whole process collaboratively.

In Quebec, researchers at UQAM noted that the worlds of educational research and teaching often failed to align. Researchers felt that teachers were narrow-minded, while teachers told them to step out of their ivory towers and observe the realities on the ground.

Consequently, the research team at the Montreal university developed the Partnership for the Development and Success of Science Education in High School. The idea is to bring together teachers from different schools and educational researchers. Together, they develop research projects by analyzing issues, asking questions, and collaboratively creating an experimental protocol that teachers can then implement, carry out, and use to transmit data to research partners. This allows both parties to better understand one another and work more closely together. This is an initiative that would benefit from being replicated in a school environment where, unfortunately, relationships of trust seem to have been damaged.

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