How do you align a student recognition wall with your school's vision and values?

2 Involve your stakeholders

A student recognition wall is not something you can create in isolation. You need to involve your stakeholders, such as your students, staff, parents, and community, in the planning and implementation process. You can solicit their input, feedback, and suggestions through surveys, focus groups, meetings, or online platforms. You can also invite them to nominate, vote, or recognize students for their achievements. By involving your stakeholders, you can ensure that your student recognition wall is relevant, inclusive, and meaningful for your school community.

3 Choose your format

There are many ways to create a student recognition wall, depending on your space, budget, and preferences. You can use a physical wall, a bulletin board, a digital display, a website, a newsletter, or a combination of these. You can also choose how often you will update your student recognition wall, such as weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. Whatever format you choose, make sure that it is visible, accessible, and attractive for your audience.

4 Set your criteria

The criteria for your student recognition wall should reflect your school's vision and values, as well as the diverse strengths and interests of your students. You can use academic, behavioral, social, emotional, or creative criteria, or a mix of these. You can also use different levels of recognition, such as individual, group, class, or school-wide recognition. You can also use different categories of recognition, such as excellence, improvement, effort, leadership, service, or citizenship. The criteria for your student recognition wall should be clear, fair, and consistent for all students.

5 Select your rewards

The rewards for your student recognition wall should be meaningful, motivating, and appropriate for your students. You can use intrinsic or extrinsic rewards, or a balance of both. Intrinsic rewards are those that come from within the student, such as pride, satisfaction, or self-esteem. Extrinsic rewards are those that come from outside the student, such as certificates, badges, stickers, prizes, or privileges. The rewards for your student recognition wall should be aligned with your school's vision and values, and should not undermine the intrinsic motivation of your students.

6 Evaluate your impact

The last step in aligning your student recognition wall with your school's vision and values is to evaluate its impact. You can use qualitative or quantitative methods, or both, to measure the outcomes and effects of your student recognition wall. You can collect data from your stakeholders, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or testimonials. You can also analyze the data from your student recognition wall, such as the number, frequency, and diversity of recognitions. You can use the data to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your student recognition wall, and to make improvements or adjustments as needed.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?