Is looping loopy?

Star Tribune Sun, 30 Mar 2008 03:37:48 GMT
The question: To loop or not to loop?

The concept of keeping students with the same teachers for two or more years is popular, but parents also want the choice to decide. Eden Prairie School District's recent ruckus over looping -- assigning students to a team of teachers for more than one year -- probably raised eyebrows in St. Louis Park, Chaska, Shakopee and Woodbury. In those communities, parents and educators are happily using looping -- and even clamoring to save it from budget cuts. "Now that I've had both my students experience looping, I know that this is a critical and valuable teaching tool," St. Louis Park parent Carolyn Cleveland said in an online petition. But the resistance in Eden Prairie -- a district with high standardized test scores -- raises questions about whether it's a feel-good fad or real education reform. "Common sense suggests that if educators stay with students for a couple of years, there are several benefits," said Joe Nathan, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for School Change. "Teachers don't have to spend several months getting to know the students. Families and students get to know educators' expectations and can build a closer working relationship."

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