Elementary students matched with the same teacher two years in a row show improvement in test scores, finds a new study in the journal Economics of Education Review.
The study finds “looping,” in which an entire class moves to the next grade with the same teacher, results in a small but statistically significant increase in student achievement. Even students assigned to a teacher for the first time experience gains when a large number of their classmates are with that teacher for a second school year.
The benefits of repeated student-teacher matches were greatest for students of color, the study found. Spending a second year with students appeared to benefit teachers too, in particular those deemed lower-performing.
