Students of Color and Public Montessori Schools: A Review of the Literature

Debs, Mira; Brown, Katie

doi:10.17161/jomr.v3i1.5859

Cited by 30 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…Montessori also fares better than other schools in terms of racial equality. Over half of children in public Montessori schools in the USA today are students of color, and such students have better academic outcomes and a reduced racial disproportionality of disciplinary events in Montessori schools (Brown and Lewis 2017;Brown and Steele 2015;Debs 2016;Debs and Brown 2017).…”

Section: Empirical Evidence On Montessori Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shunned and Admired: Montessori, Self-Determination, and a Case for Radical School Reform

Lillard

2019

Educ Psychol Rev

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School reform is an important national and international concern. The Montessori alternative school system is unique in that it is well-aligned with the science of healthy development and learning, has strong social-emotional and academic outcomes, is virtually unchanged in over a century, can be applied across all the school years, and still attracts considerable attention and allegiance-yet it remains Bon the margins^(Whitescarver and Cossentino Teachers College Record, 110, 2571-2600, 2008) of the bulwark educational system, as often shunned as admired. Why does Montessori persist (and increasingly in the public sector) and why does it elicit such sharply contrasting reactions? This article reviews several reasons why it is admired, such as evidence of Montessori's effectiveness, its alignment with educational psychology research, and its broad scope. The points of research alignment are presented as natural corollaries of Montessori's central premise: independence, or self-determination. After discussing these extrinsic and intrinsic reasons why Montessori is admired, the article concludes with speculation as to why it is also shunned-namely its incommensurability with conventional education culture and what might be a consequence: frequent poor implementation. The incommensurability of evidence-based alternatives with the conventional system is also posed as a reason for radical school reform. Keywords Education. Alternative schooling. Human development. Self-determination My vision of the future is no longer of people taking exams and proceeding from [one level of school to the next], but of individuals passing from one stage of independence to a higher [one], by means of their own activity [and…] will, which constitutes the inner evolution of the individual. (Montessori 1948a, p. xv)

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Section: Empirical Evidence On Montessori Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shunned and Admired: Montessori, Self-Determination, and a Case for Radical School Reform

Lillard

2019

Educ Psychol Rev

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“…Over the last 5 years, Montessori research has focused primarily on teacher autonomy in the classroom, examining how Montessori teachers use Montessori methods to meet the needs of diverse students (Ansari & Winsler, 2014;Carver-Akers, 2013;Danner & Fowler, 2015;Debs & Brown, 2017;Donne & Briley, 2015;Lillard & Heise, 2016;Peng & Md-Yunus, 2014;Steiner, 2016;Tobin, Boulmier, & Zhu, 2015). A second research focus emerges from the use of Montessori methods to develop play and physical motor skills in young students (Bhatia, Davis, & Shamas-Brandt, 2015;Lillard, 2013;Pate, O'Neill, & Byun, 2014).…”

Section: Montessori Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

Homework Policy and Student Choice: Findings from a Montessori Charter School

Scott

Glaze

2017

JoMR

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Abstract. The use of homework has been a controversial topic in education for many years: what types of homework to give, how much, and how often. In previous years, Ocean Montessori School (a pseudonym), the site of this study, offered homework like that of traditional public schools, such as worksheets and rote skill practice. Feeling conflicted about the misalignment between traditional homework and Montessori practices, the school administration changed the homework policy for the 2016-2017 academic year. The new policy encouraged students to choose what they wanted to do each night for homework. This study examines the views and practices of the teachers, students, and parents involved in the new homework policy. Data were collected from parent surveys, teacher focus groups, student interviews, observations, and student work samples. The findings indicate that, although students enjoyed the proposed homework change, it lacked sufficient structure for parents, and students needed support from teachers and parents to engage in meaningful homework tasks.

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“…As education researchers demonstrate the continued salience of race on student educational outcomes (Ferguson, 2000;Johnson, 2014;Lewis, 2003;Lewis & Diamond, 2015;Lewis-McCoy, 2014), more recently, scholars are examining the academic, disciplinary, and social justice context of public Montessori's Black and Latino students (Ansari & Winsler, 2014;Banks & Maixner, 2016;Brown & Steele, 2015;Debs & Brown, 2016;Stansbury, 2014;Yezbick, 2007). Such research suggests both opportunities and limitations with public Montessori in racially diverse contexts.…”

Section: Public Montessori and School Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Racial and Economic Diversity in U.S. Public Montessori Schools

Debs

2016

JoMR

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As public Montessori schools rapidly expand through the United States, the question then arises: What population of students do the schools serve? This study presents a new empirical data set examining the racial and economic diversity of 300 whole-school, public Montessori programs open in 2012–2013, where the entire school uses the Montessori Method. While school-choice scholars are concerned that choice programs like Montessori lead to greater student segregation by race and social class, this study finds a variety of outcomes for public Montessori. Public Montessori as a sector has strengths in student racial and socioeconomic diversity, but it also has diversity challenges, particularly among Montessori charters. The study concludes with recommended strategies for public Montessori schools to enroll a racially and economically diverse student body.

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Students of Color and Public Montessori Schools: A Review of the Literature

Cited by 30 publications

References 44 publications

Shunned and Admired: Montessori, Self-Determination, and a Case for Radical School Reform

Shunned and Admired: Montessori, Self-Determination, and a Case for Radical School Reform

Homework Policy and Student Choice: Findings from a Montessori Charter School

Racial and Economic Diversity in U.S. Public Montessori Schools

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