Language: English

ISSN: 1071-6246

Abstract/Notes: Preschools have become an important beginning step in education. This sequential mixed methods study sought to determine if the Montessori preschool setting provides greater academic achievement in reading readiness, specifically phonemic awareness, in preschoolers as compared to a conventional elementary standards-based preschool setting. Social constructivist theory and sociocultural theory were used as theoretical frameworks. Qualitative data was comprised of interviews with kindergarten teachers who agreed unanimously that preschool had a positive impact on students’ academic ability upon entrance to kindergarten. However, all four teachers had a negative connotation pertaining to Montessori students and the Montessori Method based solely on students’ behavior and students’ lack of conformity. For the quantitative data, multiple two sample t-tests were conducted to determine the effect of preschool experience on all 90 participants’ reading readiness scores upon entrance to kindergarten based upon DIBELS FSF and PSF and their KRA assessment scores, while taking socio-economic status into consideration. T-tests were used to compare the results from 30 Montessori students, 30 conventional standards-based elementary students, and 30 students with no preschool experience. All three sub-groups were matched equally based on socio-economic status. Montessori students outperformed the other two school groups on all three assessments. The difference in scores when separating Montessori students by socio-economic status is the most significant finding to come from this study. Montessori students considered low income had statistically lower scores on all three assessments when compared to Montessori students who are not considered low income.

Language: English

Published: Findlay, Ohio, 2019

Abstract/Notes: Collaboration with Bob Pianta's Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)

Language: English

Language: English

ISSN: 0889-6720

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 mandated that states implement standards and test-based accountability systems. In theory, local educators are free to select the means for teaching the standards so long as students achieve a predetermined proficiency level on the exams. What is unclear, however, is how this theory plays out in schools committed to educational approaches that are seemingly incompatible with state-determined standards and testing. This dissertation examines how such schools strategically respond to the opposing demands of their program design and these government mandates. This qualitative study focuses on five schools affiliated with the Big Picture Learning (BPL) network. BPL offers an example of an educational program whose emphasis on individualized interest-driven learning and authentic real-world assessment is not easily aligned with standards-driven content and tests. This study considers empirical research on school-level response to externally imposed accountability mandates (Carnoy, Elmore & Siskin, 2003). In addition, it draws on sociology's organization-environment relations literature including institutional isomorphism (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983), agency (DiMaggio, 1988; Oliver, 1991) and the theoretical models of bridging, buffering and decoupling (Scott & Davis, 2007) to create a conceptual framework of how these BPL schools negotiate competing expectations. Findings show that these schools filter state demands for accountability through the lenses of both individual teachers and Big Picture design. While taking action both to meet the demands and protect the core program, schools internalize the value of a standards-based curriculum and increase internal accountability to incorporate content-standards while simultaneously rejecting the validity of testing and gaming the system. Currently, failure to meet state mandates comes with such severe consequences that these schools may be forced to choose between radically morphing to survive or maintaining integrity and possibly closing. However, if the regulatory climate becomes less standardized and more qualitative, these schools could be forerunners in meeting revised mandates. The study suggests policy implications surrounding the intersection of belief systems, consequences and strategic responses. It offers a cautionary tale about the power of the state, the precarious nature of falling outside state norms and what prioritizing bureaucratic efficiency may mean for innovation in education.

Language: English

Published: Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2012

Abstract/Notes: School leaders have been shown to make an important difference in the success of a school (e.g., Coelli & Green, 2012; Grissom & Loeb, 2011; Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, & Wahlstrom, 2004; Robinson, Lloyd, & Rowe, 2008). Research on the preparation of school leaders has grown tremendously since the 1980s, leading to the adoption of formal standards for school leaders in the mid-1990s (Young & Crow, 2017). Preparation for school leaders is often driven by standards (Young, Anderson, & Nash, 2017), and while one set of standards for the preparation of Montessori school leaders currently exists, it was unknown how well such standards aligned with the work of Montessori school leaders in a variety of school contexts. This descriptive mixed-methods study addressed this problem of practice through surveys of Montessori school leaders and surveys and interviews of directors of Montessori school leader preparation programs. Findings provided insight into the current preparation status and needs of Montessori school leaders, stakeholder perspectives regarding the knowledge and skill needs of Montessori school leaders, and stakeholder perspectives regarding the role of standards related to the preparation of Montessori school leaders. From these results, I provide recommendations for any organization concerned with the preparation of Montessori school leaders. These include: incorporating content and language from the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders into Montessori school leadership standards, utilizing change facilitation practices to support necessary changes, allowing for increased customization of preparation content for diverse Montessori school leaders, partnering Montessori school leader preparation programs with institutions of higher education, and strengthening the Montessori school leadership pipeline.

Language: English

Published: Charlottesville, Virginia, 2019

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this research was to determine whether a progress report that aligns the Montessori materials to child development benchmarks would increase parent understanding of the Montessori materials, as well as give teachers a means of reporting growth that is systematic and consistent. Trial reports were created aligning the toddler and early childhood practical life and sensorial curriculum areas to the state standards. Parents were asked to compare the current reports with the new reports. The postimplementation survey results suggested that 97% of parents better understood the alignment between the Montessori materials and child development and 100% of teachers affirmed the new reports made a clear association between the two. The new reports clarified the alignment between the Montessori materials and children’s development for parents and created a standard measurement tool for Montessori educators with the vernacular to explain the Montessori materials progression to parents.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015

Language: English

Language: English