Though most commonly used in Germany, looping is not new in this country. Most looping occurs in the early grades. It often begins in a school with a supportive administration and a couple of teachers who decide they want to give it a try. Organizing an entire school around the concept is less common, but that's what the 1,600-student Manatee Education Center has done. Looping here begins in 1st grade.
Most teachers stay with their students for two years, though there have been a few three-year loops.
In Attleboro, Massachusetts, about 30 miles southeast of Boston, teachers loop in grades 1 through 6 in each of the district's five elementary schools. The practice affects about 4,400 students. When the district phased in the approach about seven years ago, a few teachers left. Their greatest concern, district officials say, was undertaking a second curriculum, a tough change for those who had taught the same grade for years. Now, most teachers support the idea.