If the 'good' kids are punished equally, the word gets out to all kids. It sends a message that the system is fair for everyone. Of course it helps when the principal feels personally comfortable with the various populations and knows the names of most students. The physical and emotional makeup of the building had become inseparable. One way to instill pride in the school was to make it a more pleasant place.
Teachers now stress the importance of taking the tests and doing well.
Bannan visits all junior English classes to promote them. Scores are honored at assemblies and meetings, and students are challenged to outperform the previous class. All courses are expected to require student writing, students are familiarized with the test format, the testing environment and test times are priorities, and this year the students even received a pen and pencil set to encourage good performance. Invitations were extended for district meetings, CPR training, community meetings, and community education classes, all with the intent that when people actually come into the building they'll feel better about it. The brochures had several other purposes.