Research has demonstrated the benefits children gain from attending racially diverse schools. Berends and Penaloza (2010) and Newton (2010), both found that students in diverse schools tended to score higher in math. Benson and Borman (2010), found that literacy scores improved when students attended racially diverse schools. As Montessorians, we know that education cannot be separated from its connection to culture. We recognize the fact that children bring with them a rich font of knowledge and cultural resources and that we need to value and affirm the child’s cultural and linguistic knowledge.
Although Montessori has been widely known to provide progressive private education for those who could afford it (which for the most part has been white families) public Montessori, on the other hand, has grown exponentially over the past 50 years. In many cases, unlike its private counterpart, public Montessori has its roots in racially diverse and high-need schools. Public Montessori schools currently make up approximately 12.5 percent of the estimated 4,000 Montessori programs in the United States (AMS 2016). This racial and socio-economic diversity has continued to make public Montessori more diverse on nearly all measures than the average public school in America or its private counterpart (Debs 2016).
While public Montessori programs tend to be more diverse, today’s Montessori trained teaching force tends to be white females in increasingly more diverse schools. This fact creates a potentially significant “cultural disconnection” among students, their families, and their teachers.
Montessori stated, “We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” She recognized that human beings must be connected to each other in order to flourish. Our foundational beliefs as Montessorians about the nature of humanity and children, in particular, places us in a philosophically unique position in the United States to be at the forefront of creating the kind of environments that will increase racial equity. We have schools that embrace the concept of diversity and inclusion and philosophy whose undergirding principles support it. But, so often equity and inclusion has come to mean, “Do I have the right number of people of color on the board?” or “Are there enough children of color in my classroom?” or “Do I have a diverse enough teaching faculty?” True racial equity must be more than a numbers game. It’s more than the window dressing of hanging a Black History Month poster in the school’s entryway each February in the U.S.
The organization, Equity in the Center, suggests there is a cycle, or a measurable spectrum, to an organization becoming more racially equitable, more inclusive. They call it “Awake to Woke.” And while each organization may approach this work differently, their research suggests that cycles are there nonetheless.
The first phase of the cycle is called “Awake.” It is a time period when the organization recognizes that diversity and equity are important, but focuses on numbers or percentages of people of color in the organization rather than a true diversity that goes deeper into the fabric of the school; it is entwined in the thread that holds the fabric together—barely visible to the naked eye but integral to the quality and durability of the fabric. Equity in the Center refers to this as “representation.”
The second phase is Woke. During this phase, organizations move past merely thinking about the representation of people of color in the organization to working on developing an inclusive culture mindset. The organization’s policies and procedures reflect this belief in race equity. And, those involved in the organization have the language to effectively discuss race equity and inequities.
The final phase is the “Work” phase. The organization is now able to use a “race-equity lens” to develop systems to support race equity both within and outside of the organization.
An illustration frequently used to distinguish between the phases of the cycle is that Awake is inviting people of color to a party (representation); Woke is asking them to dance (inclusion), and Work is asking them to help choose the music (focus on systems).
This race-equity work can be linked to Dr. Montessori’s idea of the “prepared environment.” We know that preparation of the environment is crucial, and we spend long hours making sure that everything in the classroom is prepared and ready for the child. Dr. Montessori stated, “The environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission” (Montessori, 1936). But, are we as working as hard to prepare our school for the families of color, who are coming into our institutions that are typically dominated by white middle-class norms?
Although Montessori schools are becoming more and more diverse, with higher percentages of families of color, research suggests that black and Latino parents frequently feel marginalized even in racially diverse schools. This fact manifests itself in their involvement and interactions with teachers and fellow parents. Research suggests that, in some cases, the ability of parents of color to participate fully in the school culture can be limited by the dominance of white families in these schools (Cucchiara 2013; Cucchiara and Horvat, 2009; Lareau and Horvat, 1999; Posey-Maddox, 2013, 2014). Research also suggests that a faculty that is predominantly white can intentionally or unintentionally discriminate against students and parents of color (Delpit, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Lewis, 2003; Lewis-McCoy, 2014; Lightfoot, 1978; Tatum 2003).
Placing equity at the center of our practice is more than just making sure that our communities are diverse. It also means that we are working for change that will prepare our organizations for families of color the same way we think about preparing the classroom environment for the children who will inhabit them. ′
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