Greetings Montessori Colleagues,
One of the many challenges we face as Montessori educators is that of clearly communicating our message to parents in order to offer them an opportunity to understand and appreciate what we offer to children. With that in mind, AMI undertook a research initiative so that we might better understand what parents perceive a Montessori education is and what parents want for the early learning years for their children. This research unfolded under the direction of the Neimand Collaborative with supporting grants from the Trust for Learning and the James Walton Foundation. It has become a goal for Montessori organizations in the United States to deliver a clear message about the value of a Montessori education speaking with one voice. With that goal in mind, AMI invited ALL Montessorians to participate in hearing the findings derived from this research so that more schools and programs can articulate what Montessori is and does. It is this effort supported by Montessori Leaders Collaborative that we now share the results of the research.
The researchers interviewed close to two thousand families from across the United States who represented different races, cultures and economic areas.
The results will not be surprising. Parents wish their children to develop into strong, capable and morally responsible individuals who are lifelong learners and doers through a partnership with teachers in achieving this goal. An interesting outcome of the research is that we often do not articulate the real message of Montessori so that parents can understand that their wish is exactly what we do by providing a richly prepared environment so that children can develop a love of learning in a peaceful community.
A summary of these findings can be found at tinyurl.com/ami-report-summary, and it is our hope that we can continue to inform the work you do each day in schools throughout the country so that the message is received and greater access to Montessori for more children is achieved.
A collaboration of: Association Montessori Internationale, Association Montessori Internationale – US, The Montessori Foundation and International Montessori Council, National Center for Montessori in the Public Sector, American Montessori Society, North American Montessori Teacher Association, Montessori Administrators Association, Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education, Montessori Public Policy Initiative, Montessori for Social Justice.
ML/ September 2018 /pg 21
