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After-School Support Helps Students Succeed

Posted on: February 21, 2020

School hours can be overwhelming, and sometimes students need a bit of extra help over and above the short time they spend in the classroom in order to absorb material effectively. An after-school tutoring program can provide this needed support and help students gain mastery in subjects as they are able to focus specifically on their own unique challenges and goals.

River Elementary School currently has 49 students taking part in their after-school tutoring program, which runs Monday through Thursday, 3:30-4:45 pm. “We have seen some pretty solid academic growth with the start of this program,” asserts Eric James, Principal. “We service grades four through eight, currently in math, English/language arts, science, and social studies.”

All of River Elementary’s grades 5-8 educators are involved, providing support for their respective grade levels and subjects. In addition, two intervention specialists are there for additional support.

“We want to give all our students the chance to succeed,” Mr. James continues, “and we know that sometimes, it takes just a little ‘extra’ to help a student over the hump of understanding a concept or being able to solve a type of problem. Our teachers are so dedicated to our students’ learning process; I can’t thank them enough for investing time to support these students.”

Students may attend tutoring as they need, just by staying after school and jumping in.

Swiss Hills Career Center is another Switzerland school where teachers and administrators saw an opportunity to implement tutoring for students who need a bit of extra attention. Jeff Dunn, Director, feels the program has made a huge difference for many students: “We have students who are great at a trade, but who are not as comfortable in the classroom. For them, having one-on-one attention from subject matter experts in a relaxed environment has made all the difference. We want all our students to graduate feeling confident not only with their life path, but with the core subjects they learn in high school; this program is accomplishing that.” Nathan Colley, Swiss Hills English teacher, has been instrumental in fostering this program. 

Because of the success at these two schools, Skyvue Elementary is also starting their own program in mid-February. Principal Chris Caldwell is excited to get it off the ground and believes it will be a huge benefit to his students: “We believe this will be a way to help our students finish the year satisfied with what they have accomplished this year and ready to start next year on a positive note.”