Abstract/Notes: It is a very difficult task to provide adequate education in the United States for children living in an inner-city environment, with problems of poverty, minority status, drugs, crime, gangs, suicide, despair, and many single-parent households. This is a Case Study of how one Arizona inner-city poverty community has risen to answer these educational demands for its children through a Montessori theory-based Charter Pre-12 school. The 650 student population served in this school is approximately 80% Hispanic American, 12% African American, and 8% Native, Asian and European American. Data were gathered from extensive interviews, observations, and document analysis. They were analyzed and evaluated in three ways: first, according to a literature review of the educational theories of Maria Montessori, then according to those of Paulo Freire, and lastly, according to a review of Charter school books, articles, and government documents available up to January of 2000. The results were an in-depth description of first, the history of this community's needs, its struggle to establish and fund the school, then the resulting educational program which it developed and implemented, and lastly, the community's positive evaluation of it's efforts. The curriculum described had extensive use of ESL and cultural appreciation programs, hands-on student initiated and student-implemented programs, integrated curriculum and critical thinking programs, job-skills related programs, self-esteem and character development programs, and Sustainable Systems Ecology Education demonstration programs. All these findings were presented in a manner which could be useful to other Administrators, who might desire to use this school's example to begin or to improve their own programs for a similarly disadvantaged inner-city population. Conclusions were that after five years of operation, this community empowerment school has indeed found methods, curriculum and programs that have successfully helped to meet the emotional, cultural, moral, and educational needs of the children in this particular poverty community. Conclusions were also that this community's experiences are valuable and appropriate for examination by other prospective Charter school Administrators from similar communities.

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 2000

Language: German

ISSN: 0944-2537

Language: English

ISSN: 0039-8837

Language: English

ISSN: 0040-7887

Language: English

Language: English

Pages: 859-868

Language: English

ISSN: 0010-700X

Abstract/Notes: The essay examines the opinions formulated by the journal «Pro Infantia» about the Montessori method, within the lively debate that this approach elicited among both secular and Catholic groups. A review of the contents of the periodical – which was produced by La Scuola publishing house in Brescia – shows that after initially considering Montessori’s work with interest, the publication adopted a more prudent and critical attitude. This stance became more radically pronounced in the 1920s, when, despite growing attention to the Montessori method in some of the leading Catholic circles, «Pro Infantia» began to voice strong criticism of it. (English)

Language: Italian

ISSN: 1828-4582

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Results of an earlier six-year followup study demonstrated that a group of children with four years of Montessori education, including preschool and primary . school, score best on all seven variables of the third grade level Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT). The group with no preschool experience scored lowest on five of seven variables of the test. The children in the highest scoring group had been in at least two different Montessori schools with as many as three different teachers. The strong positive results indicate that the common elements of the Montessori philosophy withstood the exigencies of being set forth by several teachers. The purpose of this nine-year followup is to investigate whether these positive effects are maintained up to sixth grade level. Twenty-eight of the 77 students evaluated at the third grade in the earlier study are again compared on MAT scores. Although no statistically significant results are obtained, those groups of children who had early Montessori training generally score higher on sub-tests of the MAT administered at sixth grade level than do those children who had Head Start or no preschool. Results obtained on the third grade MAT of those same children show similar but more brilliant results. Results of the study tend to re-confirm the importance of preschool experience for disadvantaged children. Research questions are listed. (Author/AM)

Language: English

Published: Cincinnati, Ohio, 1976