By: Jen Loescher
Trust in education is never static. We are either building it or repairing it—there’s no standing still, especially when it comes to bridging the gap between research and practice.
Trust is the cornerstone of the knowledge-brokering process, particularly when linking research and practice in education. It transforms information into actionable strategies, bridges gaps between interest-holders, and fosters an inclusive environment where meaningful change can take root. Beyond the relationships it nurtures, trust is what sustains partnerships and builds systems resilient enough to evolve. The ways trust is cultivated—through transparency, collaboration, and shared purpose—offer valuable lessons for driving systemic change in education.
Transparency, paired with clear communication, is foundational in building trust. When schools and districts focus on creating shared language and collective decision-making processes, they open pathways to collaboration and understanding. These practices don’t just build inclusion—they also ensure that solutions reflect the voices and needs of the community, creating a shared sense of purpose and possibility.
As trust grows, research can more effectively translate into practice. Educators, who operate in dynamic and often challenging contexts, are far more likely to engage with new strategies when they trust the source and feel its relevance to their students’ needs. As a Fellow with the CREATEd Fellowship, I am part of a diverse team that bridges research and practice through co-design. Our group includes knowledge brokers, a math instructional coach, researchers who authored our anchor piece, and a graphic design expert. Together, we are creating tools—an infographic and a social media carousel—to frame the design principles behind the purpose of Math Language Routines and their power to unlock multilingual learners’ language resources. Trust has been essential: it allows us to share expertise authentically and ensures our work resonates with educators and fosters deeper learning for students. Showing up consistently, listening deeply, and adapting to the needs of the team has underscored how trust transforms co-design into impactful solutions.
Equity-focused educational advocacy also hinges on trust. When engaging with educators, communities, policymakers, and/or researchers, trust ensures that research-backed recommendations move beyond rhetoric into meaningful action. Advocacy work requires asking the right questions, exploring challenges deeply, and amplifying under-resourced voices. By acting as a broker of ideas and evidence, I’ve witnessed how trust, cultivated through consistent partnership and shared understanding, creates the conditions for sustainable systemic change.
Professional development offers a unique avenue for knowledge brokering to thrive. When trust is present, professional learning sessions become brave spaces where educators can engage deeply, challenge assumptions, and reflect on their practices. In my experiences designing and leading professional development, I’ve seen how trust can foster a culture of continuous improvement, inviting educators to learn from one another and confidently try new strategies. These spaces often become incubators for translating complex research into practical classroom applications.
Stephen Covey’s assertion that ‘trust is the glue of life’ reminds us that trust transcends specific initiatives. For knowledge brokering, this glue binds research with the lived realities of educators, ensuring new strategies and insights are both accessible and actionable.
Trust, however, is not an abstract ideal. It must be intentionally cultivated through transparency, shared ownership, and authentic engagement. Knowledge brokering thrives on these practices, creating dynamic systems where communities and educators feel valued, empowered, and united in their pursuit of better opportunities for students. As you reflect on your role in education—whether as a teacher, leader, or advocate—consider how you can prioritize trust. How might greater transparency, collaboration, or inclusion elevate your impact? By intentionally cultivating trust, you lay the groundwork for resilient systems and thriving environments for all learners.
Jen Loescher is a Math Coach and Trainer with the Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program and a CREATEd Knowledge Broker Fellow. With over two decades of experience in education, she has served as an instructional coach, data coordinator, and classroom teacher. A dedicated advocate for impactful instructional coaching, Jen is also an alumnus of several prestigious fellowships, including the Public Education Foundation’s Teacher Leadership Academy and Nevada Teach Plus Fellowship. Contact Jen on LinkedIn.