Nobody knows my name.

Janet, yes, ask the students.  Your humble servant here was part of a research team that did a study of the needs of school children of homeless parents at the junior high level.  We simply sat down with "focus groups" and asked them "point blank:"   "What would make your day better at this school?"  You will not guess the answer.  It was this:  "I never hear my name."  Students were in the school on average only 30 days, since the welfare services found permanent housing for their parents and them, which required them to move away.  The result was teachers did not bother to even call the names of these homeless students in home rooms!  I share this for it supports your contention that we need to ask the customer, the student in this case, directly how he or she perceives their situation.  No professor in some ivory tower would ever, ever figure out something as simple as using a student's name as a key method for learning upgrade!  I had the chance to present this case study at the University of Oklahoma at a conference for school improvement there.  Thanks.  Dr. Rux