Struggling Students Get Extra Help Thanks to Schedule Change

It’s only a few weeks into the school year, but students at all three Waukesha public high schools have settled into the new schedule change.

The schedule was designed to provide academic options for students who are struggling with reading and math to give them a concentrated time to help them improve their skills.

Students who are not in the academic options classes get a slightly later start to their school day. 

“It is a half-hour time for teachers to really work with these kids in very small class sizes,” said Waukesha South High School Principal Timothy Joynt.

While its too early to provide hard data about the results of the academic options, Joynt described the smaller class sizes as “phenomenal” because of the engagement involved.

“If you have a classroom of 30 kids, it is very easy for a kid who is struggling in reading to just not read,” Joynt said. “When you are in a classroom of five to 10 students, it becomes very apparent that you need some help. We want to provide that so that when these kids graduate, they are reading and doing math at a level that they can be a great citizen.”

Learning Curve Comes With Schedule Change

Principals at all three high schools admitted there was a learning curve involved as the students adjusted to their new schedules. But a few weeks into the school year, students at Waukesha North High School no longer needed their schedules to get to their classes each day, said Principal Jody Landish.

But North students have been through previous schedule changes and were flexible with the latest schedule change, according to Landish.

Students at Waukesha West High School are enjoying the later start and six-period days on Tuesdays through Fridays, said Principal David Towers.

“They much better off than we are as adults in terms of adjusting,” Towers said.