Cheyenne District #1 To Improve School Learning, Programs

Officials with Laramie County School District #1 say they are looking at ways to try to improve learning at the junior high school level.

LCSD #1 Director of Instruction Marc LaHiff says one step that has already been taken is a "coring'' approach, in which the same group of between 100 and 120 students share the same core group pf teachers. He says the advantage to the is that ""all the teachers know all the students, all the students know the teachers" and  communication is improved.

LaHiff says a second step under consideration is to change junior high class schedules  to increase the amount of time spent in math and language arts classes. Those subjects tend to be the biggest academic problem areas at the junior high level.

LaHiff also says he thinks the district's plans to re-structure the grade levels to assign the 5th and 6th grades their own schools will help, by easing the transition from elementary to junior high school.