Sankofa Montessori is a new charter public school in Georgia that just opened its doors this school year. Our episode this month features two of their five-member leadership team- Jasmine See, who is the Manager of Student Culture and Family Engagement, and Chantille Chelich who is the Associate Director of Academics. This conversation explores their experience opening a public school as they share the school’s vision and their commitment to fully implementing it ..read more

Recently a systematic review of Montessori research was released that found that relative to traditional education, Montessori education has a positive effect on children’s academic and non-academic outcomes. The review looked at 32 rigorous studies from 8 countries around the world, focused on children from early childhood through to high school. As the plain summary concludes “Across a wide range of implementations (likely reflecting the range of Montessori implementations in the real world) and in studies of moderate to high quality, Montessori education has a nontrivial impact on children ..read more

To launch Season 4 of the Montessori in Action Podcast, our topic is dual language and Montessori. We have two guests who have recently written articles about this unique combination. Gabriela Iturrald Espejo, the biliteracy coordinator at Montessori del Mundo, wrote The Science of Reading for Bilingual Children which appeared in Montessori Public’s recent issue. Sally Ness, the Director of Admissions at Intercultural Montessori Language School, wrote Dual Language, Montessori Education- The Pathway for Peace, which appeared in Montessori Life. These two educators unpacked some of the complexi ..read more

For the final episode of Season Three we will be featuring a summer read. The Bloomsbury Handbook of Montessori Education is a brand new  accessible resource tracing Montessori education from its historical roots to current scholarship and contemporary issues of culture, social justice, and environmentalism. It is offered in six sections covering a range of topics related to Maria Montessori and Montessori education including foundations and evolution of the field; key writings; pedagogy across the lifespan; scholarly research; global reach; and contemporary considerations such as gender ..read more

Veronica Sias is the Montessori District Coordinator in Dallas for the Dallas Independent School District. In her first year in the position, she developed a district-wide professional development day to serve all the Montessori schools. Gathering for a day, and rotating through a variety of workshops and speakers, the staff of the schools learned together, connected and felt the power of their community. Join us as Veronica talks about her journey creating this experience for her district ..read more

In this episode we learn about the Black Wildflowers Fund, a new entity and sister organization of Wildflower Schools that will be co-led by our guests Maia Blankenship and Dr. Erika McDowell. This fund has been created so more Wildflower Schools led by proven black educators can flourish in neighborhoods across the country ..read more

Our next episode is a conversation with Victoria Johnson, who shares the results of her research, Education Anywhere: A Constructivist Grounded Theory study of Montessori Around the World. In this study, Victoria spent multiple years exploring the experiences of individuals and communities connected with diverse Montessori environments across the globe. Her research has produced some insightful theoretical models that help us understand the deeper meanings and processes of diversity and adaptability within Montessori from a worldwide perspective. Together we discuss important aspects of these ..read more

As times change, the preparation of Montessori educators must also. In this conversation, primary trainer, Uma Ramani shares ways in which she has shifted both the course and content to address the needs of the adult learner and in pursuit of reaching all learners ..read more

This month is a conversation with Vonnie Brown, the new Chief Operating Officer at Association Montessori International- USA. Her Montessori connection began through the doorway of a Wôpanâak language cultural immersion Montessori school founded on her tribal land. She joins the team at AMI USA with a vision of greater access for all learners and an interest in inclusivity ..read more

Our next episode features the emergence of public Montessori in the Ukraine. Anna Volokhova and Viktoriia Shcherbyna and  talk about their Montessori journeys, the impact of the war in Ukraine and their work together to support Montessori schools during this time. Anna is the CEO of Montessori UA, an organization founded this past spring in response to the war in Ukraine with a goal of bringing people together and spreading the Montessori method across the country.  Viktoriia is the director of a Montessori program who working with the government to support open access to Montessori ..read more