More than 5,000 schools in the United States, including more than 300 public schools, use the Montessori Method.
Every year we receive more and more inquires about formal research evidence that validates Montessori’s effectiveness. More than two hundred studies have been published about the long-term academic and social development of children who attended Montessori schools in the United States. However, educational research is not often taken seriously by scientists. What do we really know?
Montessori education is characterized by multi-age classrooms, a special set of educational materials, student-chosen work in long time blocks, a collaborative environment with student mentors, absence of grades and tests, and individual and small-group instruction in academic and social skills. More than 5,000 schools in the United States, including more than 300 public schools, use the Montessori Method.
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In recent years, several well-known public figures have attributed no small degree of their success to their Montessori education. These former Montessori students include Larry Page and Sergie Brin, the young self-made billionaires who founded Google.com, Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com, and Steven Case, founder of America Online.
For more information about Montessori, visit www.montessori.org, read The Montessori Way or How to Raise an Amazing Child, talk to the school admissions director or head of school, or read the other brochures in this series. Compliments of ...
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The best known and most respected study thus far was published in 2006 by a former Montessori student, Dr. Angeline Stoll Lillard. Her work, which was one of the few examples of educational research to ever be published in the prestigious journal Science, compared the outcomes of children who attended the public Montessori schools in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a similar population who attended other school programs in the city’s public school system. Similar personal experiences abound, providing anecdotal evidence passed along with Montessori teachers and supportive parents attesting to Montessori’s long-term outcomes. For example, Katherine Graham, who owned and served as long-term editor of the Washington Post, and former first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, both attended Montessori schools. Anne Frank, the young girl whose war years’ diary made her a household name, as well as Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, were also Montessori students.
Dr. Lillard and her collaborator Nicole Else-Quest found that the Montessori children at the end of their kindergarten year were significantly better prepared for elementary school, outscoring their peers in reading and math skills. They also tested better on “executive function,” the ability to adapt to changing and more complex problems. This is an indicator of future school and life success. At the end of their elementary program, Montessori students showed greater gains in language. They write more creative essays using more complex sentences.
According to Dr. Lillard, research shows: 1. Children learn best when they are allowed to move, manipulate, and do things, rather than simply watch and listen to lessons. Montessori does this by design, and the hands-on Montessori learning materials are world famous. 2. Children tend to learn more and become more emotionally mature and well-balanced when they have a sense of freedom, choice, and control over their daily lives. Considerable freedom of movement and choice of activity are basic aspects of Montessori. The culture of the Montessori class is peaceful and based on partnership and respect. 3. Children learn better when they are interested in what is being taught. Montessori teachers follow their students’ interests and nurture their curiosity and imagination, while ensuring that essential skills are learned. 4. Tying extrinsic rewards to learning—such as giving high grades for doing well on a test, or paying children for getting good grades tends to backfire. Students tend to lose their motivation to engage in that activity once the reward is no longer offered. Montessori cultivates children’s self-motivation, our assessment approaches are holistic, and students don’t compete against each other for grades.
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So was rap musician Sean (P. Diddy) Combs. Princes William and Harry Windsor of the English royal family both attended Montessori preschools. World famous chef and star of TV cooking shows, Julia Child, was a Montessori child, as was fellow celebrity chef, author, and restaurateur Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. The list goes on, including famous doctors, scientists, artists, actors, and entrepreneurs.
In her earlier work, Montessori: The Science Behind the Genius, Dr. Lillard offered a very different, but equally important analysis through a careful review of the major findings of research into child development. By demonstrating that the principles of best practice recommended by research to facilitate children’s learning are central principles of authentic Montessori education, Lillard made an indirect, but compelling, case in support of the Montessori approach.
Note: Dr. Lillard’s book is available for purchase through the Foundation’s bookstore at www.montessori.org.
5. Collaborative learning with other students tends to facilitate learning. In traditional schooling, teachers give lessons and children rarely learn from each other. In Montessori, children work and learn from, and with, each other all the time.
6. Learning situated in meaningful contexts is often deeper and richer than learning in abstract contexts. In traditional schooling, children sometimes learn without understanding how their learning applies to anything besides school tests. In Montessori, children learn by doing and learning is situated in real world applications and contexts. 7. Particular forms of adult interaction are associated with more optimal child outcomes. While traditional education is sometimes authoritarian, and progressive schools may be too permissive, Montessori follows an authoritative approach known to be associated with the most optimal child outcomes. Montessori’s authoritative approach is both highly structured and consistent, while being warm and empathic. Kind, courteous, and responsible behavior is the norm in Montessori programs. 8. Order in the environment is beneficial to children. Montessori classrooms are very organized, both in terms of layout and design. While the very carefully designed Montessori prepared environments may turn some people off, research suggests that order is very helpful to learning and children’s long-term development.