Why No One Trusts Teachers

Teachers that I talk to and read about consistently chafe at how little trust they are given -- by parents, administrators, policymakers, etc. It's understandably frustrating for them.  But this New York Times article (about car mechanics, of all things) goes a long way to explaining the dynamic, which economists apparently call the "expert service" problem (When Trust in an Expert Is Unwise).  In short, when the person you go to for expertise on a complex issue (say, education) is the SAME person that will provide the service, there's a (perceived) conflict of interest that makes non-experts wary about the diagnosis being offered.  It's not that teachers aren't trustworthy or knowledgeable, but rather that they should understood how hard it is for non-educators to take what they're saying as gospel.