Another approach is to talk to local parents, figure out which teacher would be best, find out their teaching style, and then request that.
Yes, but ground truth it. What's best for other kids, and indeed the "best" teachers in each grade have often not been great fits for my kids. We have one teacher with a reputation for being really strict, and so everyone avoids her. Strict means that the classroom is quiet, kids are on task, and everyone is respectful of each other, which is just the environment my kids need.
