Project SYNC (Systems, Yoked through Nuanced Collaboration) details perspectives of a community of stakeholders committed to the enhancement of early childhood (i.e., prekindergarten through grade 3) education. Although there is a growing number of public-school programs informed by the Montessori philosophy, Montessori educational experiences often take place within affluent communities. SYNC aimed to enhance the prekindergarten through grade 3 educational experiences for traditionally underserved students by transforming two traditional early childhood classrooms to Montessori settings within a diverse, Title I school. Montessori pedagogy, curricula, and materials aligned with the school’s dedicated commitment to social justice. The study, one in a series, explored the impact of Montessori education on a neighborhood school community as evidenced through stakeholder opinions, project implementation, and teacher attitudes. Project data illustrate that a Montessori educational experience created learning opportunities that supported children from culturally and ethnically diverse communities in a traditional, Title I elementary school.
Ladson-Billings (2014) asserts, educators often fail to carry out a critical and rigorous form of culturally relevant pedagogy by neglecting the development of sociopolitical consciousness and attending to limited forms of "culture." This project focuses on culturally relevant pedagogy within the context of Montessori infused classrooms. Within the setting, teachers emphasized sociopolitical consciousness development while simultaneously emphasizing academic rigor and cultural competence. These committed, critical educators put effort into deeply engaging their preschool students in conversations on racism, which is often deemed difficult, especially within preschool settings. We argue that teachers' beliefs and commitments, a school culture, and a Montessori curriculum contributed to CRP and enabled teachers to support an equitable and just education for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
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