Instead of incapacitating people's ability to problem-solve or try new ideas -- which is what fear does to us -- research on school reform strongly suggests that policy-makers should be encouraging school leaders to take a more humane approach. In their seminal 2002 study on the reform efforts of 12 Chicago public schools, authors Anthony Bryk and Barbara Schneider found that enabling positive social relationships between the adults was the key to successful school improvement -- and that trust was at the heart of those relationships. Read more....