This past weekend I attended and presented at a conference, hosted in a high school. Entering through the front door of the school, this large banner was one of the first things anyone would see.
I certainly understand why a school staff would be happy, even proud, about receiving their state accreditation, especially if they had failed multiple times in the past.1 And this is not intended to be a slam on them.
However, is that the message they want to communicate to the school community? Is that really the most important characteristic of this school? A distinction for which the school administration felt compelled to purchase a large banner and display it in a prominent place for all to see?
I wonder what would have been on that banner if it was created by the staff instead. More importantly, what would it say if you asked students to design a banner communicating the most important attribute of the school?
Navigating the largely administrative, and somewhat political, processes behind the accreditation process is very important to school and district administrators.
I doubt many other members of the community understands that process, or would ever list it as one of the top aspects of a successful school.