Abstract/Notes: In the late 1980s, a group of parents, teachers, and community members were concerned about an abandoned nineplex unit that sat directly across the street from an elementary school in Northeast Denver, Colorado. The school was Mitchell Elementary. Only a few years before, it had been in noncompliance with the federal court order to desegregate the Denver Public Schools. Dr. Martha M. Urioste had been assigned as the principal to bring the school out of noncompliance -- she did this in nine years by adopting a Montessori curriculum and attracting students from all over the city -- and Mitchell Montessori soon became a beacon of hope and opportunity in a neighborhood that had often felt forsaken. Next to the shining star of Mitchell Montessori, the neglected building stood in stark contrast and seemed to attract illicit activity. Many people worried for the safety of the children. Rather than wait for someone else to do something, these concerned citizens decided to adopt the building themselves and transform it into an infant-toddler-parent Montessori education center. They named the center Family Star for the child -- the nucleus of the family. This is their story.

Language: English

Published: Edgewater, Colorado: Great Work Publishing, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-692-61020-6

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: This study was implemented to research the effects of parent education and parents understanding of Montessori, in the form of a parent book club. The aim of this action research project was to improve parents understanding of the basic concepts of the Montessori Method with the goal to persuade parents to keep their students in a Montessori environment as long as possible. This study was conducted in a small private Montessori school. All participants had children that were enrolled in the Montessori school. Data collection was gathered using a pre/post survey, self-assessment surveys, videotaping of the book club sessions, and guided discussion questions. Results suggest that parent education was beneficial regarding parents understanding of the Montessori Method. Results also showed that through parent education parents had more questions about the nuances of education in general after the book club concluded. Through a detailed analysis of the pre and post survey, self-assessment surveys, guided discussion questions, and video recording a secondary result, the creation of community and like-minded individuals, presented itself as a beneficial outcome of parent education. The issue of Montessori students and their transition from a Montessori environment to a traditional educational setting was identified and poses the need for additional research. Overall, findings suggest that as Montessori educators we can strengthen the Montessori movement with the implementation of parent education and additional research.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2014

Abstract/Notes: This study sought to improve parent knowledge about the Montessori curriculum at a public Montessori school in British Columbia, Canada. Nineteen parents from a grade 1/2/3 class participated. Prior to six weeks of interventions, a parent question log was kept, and baseline data was collected from students and their parents. The teacher hosted one parent evening, three in-class observations for parents, started a Montessori magazine library, and featured a section on Montessori in the home and material use on the class blog. Data collection tools were used throughout the research to gain feedback from parents. Research concluded that parent knowledge improved, standard Montessori practices at home increased, and participants began asking deeper questions about Montessori philosophy. Parents chose the evening event and the blog as tools they would use in the future. Further research could be done over a longer period to see if participation could be improved by spreading out the events.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2017

Language: English

Language: English

Language: English

ISSN: 0009-3882

Language: English