For most students, the start of middle school represents
some newfound independence. For the first time, they get to travel the halls
from class to class without being led by an adult.
Of course, this new freedom stems from how middle
schools are set up. Few teachers have the training to teach every subject in
the middle school curriculum so instead of having one primary teacher, there
are at least four. Students find themselves traveling to the teachers, each a
specialist in their subject area.
There’s been a lot of debate over the years about when
to introduce subject specialization. In fact many elementary schools introduce
the model at 4th grade.
But a strong new study from Harvard economist
Roland Fryer calls into question that practice.
Fryer conducted a two-year experiment in 50 public
elementary schools in Houston, Texas. Half of the schools remained on a
traditional elementary school schedule; in the other half, principals assigned
teachers to teach specific subjects based on their observed strengths and
previous value-added scores.
For the most part, assigning teachers to specific
subjects didn’t make much of a difference—and when it did, that difference was
generally negative. Reading and math scores declined, while problem behaviors
and absences actually increased—albeit to a small degree. Basic economic theory
predicted an efficient assembly line in which every teacher installed her
piece; reality told another story.
It’s hard to know exactly why the experiment didn’t
have better results. Perhaps teacher specialization would have a positive
impact if teachers received extra training in their assigned subjects. Perhaps
lost time getting to know each individual student eliminates any benefits that
could come from specialization.
Regardless of the cause, the results serve as a
helpful reminder that elementary
teachers need a strong grounding in all four traditional content areas, not
just the ones they’re more drawn to, as principals can’t simply
rearrange staff based on interest or inclination and expect better student outcomes.
Further, Fryer’s study is robust, using a large sample size, multi-year
implementation, sound experimental design, and realistic policy implementation.
As this study failed to find a benefit to teacher specialization in Houston’s elementary
schools, it’s unlikely that other districts would fare better.
