Could we use school signage as a way to shift public perception about what our schools are (or aren’t) doing?
Have you ever checked out the marquees in front of our school buildings? I often wonder if we are using them as well as we could. My guess is that we aren’t.
Here are a few that I’ve noticed this year:
“We are proud of our troops.”
“Open house: October 15th.”
“Happy Birthday, Mrs. Mackelby!”
Not to say that these aren’t important messages, but I think we may be missing something big here. I think that this is the most underused real estate in our school building. How many parents, voters, taxpayers, people drive by in a day? A week? A month?
Here’s what I’m thinking: What if we used these as levers to impact public perception of education? What if we used these as a way to show off what our teachers and students are doing inside that the public may not realize? What if we used these to help reclaim the narrative around public education?
Instead of the phrases above, what if marquees were used more strategically:
“456 years of teaching experience serves inside these walls.”
“Our global students collaborate with 7 different countries.”
“Our 2nd grade authors just published 89 original fiction and nonfiction books.”
“100% of our faculty earned their National Board Certification or is dual-certified in our state.”
I think we might be onto something.
What do you think? What marquees have you seen that work? That could use a little tweak to improve? I’d love to get some ideas flowing with you...please post and share below.
And here’s my call to action: How can you better utilize your school marquee?
Special thanks to the one and only Shanna Peeples for engaging in crazy conversation about this wild idea.
Photos courtesy of Teofilo and Bill Smith.