Abstract/Notes: This study sought the effects of educating parents on Dr. Maria Montessori's first plane of development in a mixed-age kindergarten classroom in Southern California, USA. Students withdrawing before completing the Montessori kindergarten year formed the basis for tailoring an action research project that informs parents about the importance of Montessori's first plane of development through the lens of Parent Development Theory. The researcher first explored past action research on relevant Montessori parent education studies. Next, twenty-five parents from a mixed-age Montessori kindergarten class participated in a six-week study. The research concluded that parents' understanding and valuing of the Montessori kindergarten year or final year in their students' early childhood education increased based on pre-and-post parent surveys and hands-on parent education experiences. The increase in parent knowledge resulted in the participants utilizing tailored information to make informed decisions about their student's kindergarten year on whether or not to keep their students enrolled for the full three-year period of the Montessori program. The researcher developed a more streamlined, focused, and comprehensive parent education plan than before the study began.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2019

Abstract/Notes: This research studied the effects three different styles of email content has on sustained parent interest. Emailing is a cost-effective way of offering parents a glimpse inside their child’s classroom; but if parents do not engage with the emails or correspond with the teacher, the effort may be ineffective.. Over six weeks, 81 primary (3 to 6 years-old) parents at a small suburban Montessori school received one of three weekly emails containing photos or text intended to teach parents about Montessori education. The data suggests parents value photos rather than text. Teachers may see sustained engagement by sending regular photo-heavy emails of a number of children working followed by a brief caption. Text-heavy emails meant to describe the Montessori principles or materials should be created in advance, and be easily replicable and customized.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2018

Abstract/Notes: The presented research was performed to answer a specific question. What is the effect of an indepth Parent Orientation Evening and an Open House Material Night on parents’ involvement in homework support for their children in a mixed 1st – 3 rd grade Montessori classroom? The study consisted of fifteen students and their guardians. The six weeks of exploration began with a Parent Orientation Evening. It continued with data collection in Math Facts and Spelling Words Practice Sheets, Teacher and Parent Running Record, an Open House Material Night, and Parent Attitude Scales. The research found the two times guardians were invited to the school were helpful to explain the expectations of adults within the classroom and with homework. The findings also showed a small correlation between parents practicing math facts and spelling words with their children and the students’ weekly scores. Continuing the research for a longer period would help answer the initial question posed.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2017

Abstract/Notes: The purpose of this action research was to examine the most effective ways of communicating with parents in the Montessori environment, and to see if incorporating technology and communication skills into the classroom would improve parent-teacher communication and relationships. This study was conducted with the parents of children ages two and a half to six years old in a private Montessori classroom. Classroom management and communication technology in the form of Montessori Compass was introduced into the classroom in order to see the impact on parent-teacher communication. Techniques for improved communication with parents were also used during parent-teacher interactions to order to build stronger relationships. The results of the study were largely positive, with 69% of parents preferring the communication interventions. Further research is implicated in the area of introducing counseling skills to teachers in order to see additional improvement.

Language: English

Published: St. Paul, Minnesota, 2015

Abstract/Notes: This study explored why parents choose Montessori schools for their children. Parents from two public (n = 40) and two private (n = 10) Montessori schools responded to a written survey designed to discern what characteristics parents valued in making their decision. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and chi-square tests were used to understand the trends present in parents‟ responses. Comparisons were made between public and private Montessori parents to explore the overarching themes and to determine differences that existed between the two types of parents. The researcher conducted thirteen interviews designed to elicit additional information about why the parents chose Montessori programs and to confirm the results of the quantitative data. Open-ended survey items and interview transcripts were coded using content analysis. Public and private Montessori school parents valued similar factors and characteristics with a few significant differences. Public Montessori parents valued diversity and free tuition while private Montessori parents placed higher value on academic programming. Information obtained from the participants indicated several areas of opportunity for schools to develop creative marketing strategies and to employ innovative strategies for improvement.

Language: English

Published: Lincoln, Nebraska, 2010

Abstract/Notes: a "The underlying motives of school choice emerged as major courses of action to offer parents opportunities for education in the free market enterprise and to limit the racial desegregation of public schools. This policy became known as "freedom of choice." Historically, parental choice of schools was the option of parents who could afford the tuition of private or parochial schools. The first options for public school choice appeared during the 1960's. Today, magnet schools are the most popular form of school choice. Montessori schools have become a well-liked preference of magnet school options. Fifteen years ago, there were approximately 50 public Montessori schools in the United States. Today, there are between 250 and 300 public Montessori schools. While research has been accumulating on why parents choose a particular type of school (parochial, private, magnet, charter, or local public school) far less is known about why parents choose a particular curriculum. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how parents navigate school choice decisions and why they choose Montessori schools over other available options. This dissertation further examines if parents' educational choices correspond to their reasons for selecting Montessori schooling and the impact family income and ethnicity have on their preference for Montessori. The methodology of this study utilized a mixed methods research medium. The mixed methods approach blended two different research strategies, qualitative and quantitative. Recognizing the overlap between qualitative and quantitative research methods, the data from self-report surveys were supplemented with semi-structured interviews. Three hundred surveys were distributed to the parents of the Montessori school and interviews were held with ten parents of the same school. Of the original 300 surveys, 132 were returned and comprised my final sample. The quantitative findings indicate that parents who choose the Montessori school use... OCLC Record: 866942318

Language: English

Published: Greensboro, North Carolina, 2007

Abstract/Notes: One of the fundamental social problems in America is how to create racially diverse schools. While policy makers are slow to fix underlying housing segregation or return to busing, creating racial diversity through school choice is widely popular across the political spectrum. How can school choice create more racial and socioeconomic diversity, instead of increasing segregation?

Language: English

Published: New Haven, Connecticut, 2016

Abstract/Notes: Since early childhood programs were first introduced in the United States in the 1820s, early childhood professionals have been aware that teaching and caring for young children involves establishing relationships with their families. This study is a historical examination of the relationships between early childhood programs and parents. The study considered the political, social, and economic factors that have influenced the development of relationships between parents and early childhood programs, including: infant schools; kindergarten; laboratory schools; nursery schools; Montessori programs; day nurseries and child care; and Head Start. The study showed that the history of parent involvement in early childhood programs is essentially the history of early childhood programs. Since the 1820s, early childhood professionals have provided ample literary evidence of how parents were expected to be involved in early childhood programs, and how these expectations were communicated to them. Literary evidence was the basis for this study. Evidence used in the study included: autobiographies, journals, recollections, and letters of key participants; manuals of early childhood practice; proceedings from meetings and conferences; publications from government agencies; articles and commentaries from professional journals and popular magazines; theoretical and practical works by leaders in the field; research studies; textbooks; and childrearing advice books. The history of early childhood programs reveals a wide range of attempts to bring parents and early childhood programs together. At various times and in various contexts, these attempts have been called parent cooperation, parent education, parent participation, parent involvement, and teacher-parent partnership. Throughout most of the history of early childhood programs, parents were cast in the role of learner. More recently, the ideal relationship between parents and early childhood professionals has been characterized as that of a partnership. The various terms that have been used to describe the relationships between parents and early childhood programs were examined through the course of this study, as were the assumptions and beliefs that have influenced the interpretation of these terms.

Language: English

Published: Boston, Massachusetts, 1999

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: During the past ten years, a total of 3,642 teachers and administrators have attended the Korean Montessori Teacher Training Program (KMTTP). A sample of Montessori teachers (n = 261) and Korean parents (n = 375) from 32 Korean Montessori schools located in the major cities of Korea were surveyed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of this teacher preparation program. The EXPECTATIONS AND GOAL ATTAINMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (EGAQ), designed by the researcher, was the instrumentation used to conduct this study. Major findings demonstrated that 74.5 percent of the teachers surveyed indicated that their main reasons for attending the KMTTP were to increase their professional competency and their knowledge of child development through Montessori philosophy. The correlation between teachers' levels of satisfaction with their preparation and perceived effectiveness of the training program was higher (r =.29, p $<$.05) than between their levels of satisfaction with the program and their perceptions of their preparedness after completion of training (r =.18, p $<$.05). Significant differences existed between perceived effectiveness of the KMTTP and teachers' ages, positions, and years of experience. Older teachers and those with more advanced teaching positions expressed greater satisfaction with the program. Teachers indicated that, upon completion of the KMTTP, they felt more prepared in, than knowledgeable of, Montessori educational methodology. From the parent perspective, the most frequently cited reason (74.3%) for sending their child to a Montessori School was to provide a learning environment that nurtured their child's interpersonal growth. A majority of the parents (58.5%) were very satisfied with the Montessori experience; no parents were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. In correlating the effectiveness of Montessori education with specific outcomes, parents indicated highest levels of satisfaction in the areas of "concentration" and "academic achievement." A majority of the teachers surveyed (52.8%) encouraged the implementation of the Montessori Teacher Training Program in neighboring countries, with 42.1 percent strongly encouraging implementation. This study demonstrated the need for further development and improvement in the area of Montessori teacher training in Korea.

Language: English

Published: San Francisco, California, 1994