Nobody denies that trust in schools is key to success in generating any educational outcomes. However, trust is often eroded, resulting in conflicts, alienation, and differentiation among school-level stakeholders. This book analyses school-based management (SBM) of education through the lens of relational trust in the context of Ghana, revealing how community participation in school management leads to educational outcomes.

Conducting quantitative analysis of headteacher questionnaires from public basic schools and qualitative analysis of case study schools in the Akatsi South District of Ghana, Shibuya offers critical insights into building sustainable relationships between individual households and geographical/school communities. He argues it is critical to highlight relational trust as an analytical tool to examine relationships between actors and factors in school management. The research finds that trust in schools is a two-way mechanism, and the mutuality of expectations and obligations among stakeholders is essential if children’s learning outcomes are to improve.

With its mixed-methods approach, this book will be a valuable resource for scholars in comparative education, those in educational development, and those interested in African contexts.