When Trust Is at Risk: How Digital Resources Help Parents Stay Connected to Schools

The digital environment plays a significant role in the interaction between parents and schools. The use and impact of digital tools for communication, educational process organisation, and school management remain central topics in educational research. This article examines the role of digital services in shaping parental trust in the education system. It addresses the question of how digital resources help parents maintain trust in schools, particularly in situations involving negative experiences of interaction. Using path analysis based on responses from 16,353 parents of schoolchildren in Moscow, the study assesses the extent to which the frequency of use and satisfaction with digital services mediate the negative impact of communication difficulties with schools on overall trust in the education system. The findings indicate that the compensatory effect depends not only on the frequency of digital tool use but also on a high level of user satisfaction. Thus, the quality of digital interaction between schools and parents emerges as an important factor in sustaining trust. The results may be of use in shaping information policy and strategies for digital communication in education.