Abstract

Background. The rationale behind the selection of the topic are the shifts that occur in education institutions. The uncertainty of the environment, progressive demographic de-cline, and the requirement of remaining competitive are driving schools to seek new ways to survive and present an attractive prospectus. One of the challenges faced by schools, and at the same time a legal obligation imposed by the legislation governing education, is the openness of schools to the environment - understood as the establishment of collaboration by the school with its local environment. The literature emphasises that openness to the environment proves to be one of the factors strengthening trust in the organisation. Trust is crucial in shaping mutual relationships between an organisation and its environment. The paper assumes that the prerequisite for engendering trust on the part of candidates and their parents is the appropriate fulfilment of the mission by schools through their efficient management, which maybe easily discerned when observing the quality of education.

Research aims. The paper strives to assess the impact of trust in schools on the enrolment results and to identify which principal contributors to trust are used in the practice of Polish schools.

Methodology. Accomplishing the objective of the paper was made possible by an analysis of the body of literature devoted to public trust, complemented by empirical studies. The studies were conducted on a targeted sample selected in an expert manner, comprising public upper-secondary schools located in the territory of the Silesian agglomeration. These studies used a structured interview methodology. The survey covered students in the first year of three upper-secondary schools (N = 15), their parents (N = 30), and principals of upper-secondary schools (N = 3). While selecting students for the survey, winners and finalists of Olympiads and competitions for schools were taken into consideration.

Key findings. The research process led to the conclusion that trust in schools has a direct impact on their enrolment results. Moreover, the findings show the degree to which the primary trust factors are harnessed in upper-secondary education institutions. Further in-depth research requires identification of interdependencies between trust and enrolment success of the school in the context of its ongoing collaboration with partners. After all, trust management constitutes a promising field of challenges for further detailed scientific research.