Looping Allows Teachers to Get to Know Students

Our daughter will only have two teachers for the entire time she is in elementary school because the school district is introducing "looping" next fall. Many of the parents are very upset. Is looping a new education experiment? Are there any real benefits to it? - Need an Explanation
Answer: Looping is a fairly new education term to describe what used to happen in one-room schoolhouses in rural areas. Back then, a teacher might stay with a group of students for as long as eight years. Today, looping usually involves having teachers stay with the same group of students for two or three years. Then, at the end of a "loop," teachers begin the cycle again with a new group of students.
Looping is becoming more common; however, it is still considered innovative. What research there is on looping indicates that teachers, students and parents in these programs do like it. In fact, their support becomes more enthusiastic with each year of the cycle.
Teachers like looping because they truly get to know their students, making instruction easier and more effective. They also like the fact that it gives students an extra month of learning at the start of the second and third years because time doesn't have to be spent becoming familiar with the needs of individual students. Plus, with looping, teachers have a longer time to help slower students learn basic skills, and fewer students are held back. Teachers also see other benefits, including fewer disciplinary problems, deeper relationships with students and their parents, and improved student achievement.
Staying with the same classmates for two or more years helps children feel more comfortable in the classroom. They have the feeling that they are part of a group. Looping is especially beneficial for shy children, because they become more willing to speak in class. It also takes the stress out of the beginning of a school year because students know what their teacher is like.
Parents like looping because they can build a solid relationship with their children's teachers and know the teachers' expectations. While parents worry that their children might have a personality conflict with a teacher, these situations are usually handled easily by transferring them to another teacher.